


For Us, The Night is Long

by Nickygp



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Love Confessions, M/M, Masturbation, Misunderstandings, Pining, Prince!Eggsy, Shapeshifting, Smut, True Love, Virgin!Eggsy, externally induced pleasure, seer!james, swan!harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-04-21 02:09:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4810844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nickygp/pseuds/Nickygp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After one fateful encounter and one unforgiving curse, Harry is thrust into a world filled with magic from which he can’t escape, especially not when he has become a magical creature himself. </p><p>He will need a pure soul to declare their love him - and only him - to break the spell, but where is he to find such a person when he is trapped in a forest, away from his fellow men?<br/>Will the young, adventurous Prince Gary be able to help him, or will Harry be doomed to live out his days as a Swan? And, more importantly, will Harry be able to protect those he cherishes from the evil sorcerer who cursed him in the first place, or will the man find a way to break Harry once and for all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rounds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maries1993](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maries1993/gifts).



> This fic I dedicate to hartwin-danny, who has - with her excitement - pushed me to actually write this fic, and who has invested both time and love in this fic even before it existed. 
> 
> You can find a lovely playlist made by hartwin-danny [here](http://hartwin-danny.tumblr.com/post/125946300122/something-for-kingsmanhartwins-future-swan-lake) as well a picture set which you can find [here](http://hartwin-danny.tumblr.com/post/125758988802/when-a-swans-mate-passes-away-it-has-been) and a giftset which you can find [here](http://kingsmanhartwin.tumblr.com/post/129212215099/for-us-the-night-is-long-chapter-1-of)
> 
> “Can a magician kill a man by magic?” Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. “I suppose a magician might,” he admitted, “but a gentleman never would.”  
> ― Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Harry took off his muddied boots, rubbing his feat as he reclined his back against the hard stone wall. He closed his eyes, letting the cool breeze coming from the window unwind his tight muscles. While it was still fairly early - not even half past five - he felt very tired. He had not had a wink of sleep for a bit over twenty hours, and he had been training recruits for the past ten. 

He could still remember his own days as a recruit. He had been a special case, having begun training at the tender age of ten. His father, one of the King’s generals, had been the one to start his training, claiming that Harry had the potential to be the best of his generation - something which Harry now understood to be a father’s quasi foolish pride. While it was true that Harry had grown to be the best of his generation, he was quite sure it had more to do with the amount of hours - and years - his father had made him train rather than his father’s keen eye. 

Not that Harry was complaining. Starting early had allowed him to climb up the ranks faster than any man before him. He and Merlin, who had started training only a few years after him thanks to Harry’s father - who so happened to be Merlin’s uncle - had been granted Knighthood at a very tender age. Harry had been knighted at the age of twenty two, and Merlin had been knighted the year after. 

There had been some grumblings among the nobles - mainly Chester, because the man rather disliked Merlin - but no one could deny that both Harry and Merlin had been essential in the final battle against a neighboring king who had been after Kingsman’s riches. The recently appointed King - Lee Unwin - had grown particularly close to Harry after that faithful battle, going so far as to make the young man one of his advisors, even when Harry was but a few years older than him.

Harry smiled fondly at the memories. It had been two years since he had received his knighthood, and there wasn’t a day that went by where he didn’t meet at least once with both the King and Merlin, either to discuss the kingdom or to just relieve some stress by talking about whatever came to mind. 

“You know, someone as young as you shouldn’t look so tired,” Merlin quipped, coming to stand next to Harry. 

Harry rolled his eyes, not looking at his friend. “Weren’t you supposed to look after the new recruits?” 

Merlin chuckled, tapping Harry’s shoulder to get him to move to the side to let Merlin sit as well. “I left them in their rooms. I figured they deserved a good night’s rest.”

Harry’s brows shot up. “How noble of you” the young man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

It was Merlin’s turn to roll his eyes. “Come on, put your boots back on.” 

Harry furrows his brows, not liking Merlin’s idea at all. “Why on earth would I do that?”

“Because we have to go do rounds tonight,” Merlin said as he stretched his neck. 

“Tonight? But the rounds aren't scheduled until next week,” Harry said as he put his boots back on, knowing that no matter how tired he was, he would never disregard his duty. 

“The Queen has gone into labor early,” Merlin admitted in a quiet hush. “And Lee is driving himself crazy with worry. He fears for the kingdom’s safety, and - more importantly - the Queen’s and his son’s safety.” 

“Does he believe we will be attacked?” Harry said gravely as he walked with Merlin quickly, giving a curt nod to the gatekeeper. 

“There have been a few rumors that someone is out to kill the King,” Merlin admitted as he walked towards the stables. “He didn’t want to tell you anything because he knew you’d send every man available - including yourself - to check every inch of the border. However, tonight, he is particularly worried, so you and I are going to go make sure there are no problems.

Harry nodded, his jaw tense. He would have to have a few words with Lee upon his return about not keeping things like this from him just to spare Harry the worry. It was Harry’s duty, after all, to keep the king safe. This was the problem with being close friends with Lee; the man cared more about the safety and well being of those he loved than he cared for his own, forgetting completely about the fact that he was the bloody _King_. 

Harry mounted his white mare, patting her neck softly before gently tapping her on her side with his foot. She took off immediately, picking up speed as soon as they were past the gates. Merlin caught up with him, the man’s black horse huffing with excitement. 

Harry chuckled, looking over to his friend. “Where should we go first?” Harry said loudly. 

Merlin considered his words for a second before replying “The forest. That’s the most likely place where an attack would come from.” 

Harry nodded, guiding his mare by the reins. They passed through the outskirts of the town, the people a blur of colors as the mare trotted faster and faster at Harry’s prompting. They crossed the bridge, slowing down as they reached the outskirts of the dark forest. 

“I’ve never entered at night,” Harry admitted, unsheathing his sword. 

Merlin’s lips twitched. “Not even with one of your lovers?” The man teased as he pulled out a lantern from a pouch he had brought with him. 

“Why in heaven’s name would I bring someone to a bloody forest at night?” Harry huffed out. “The forest is dangerous at best.” 

Merlin shrugged. “I think it has a charm.”

“And they say _I_ am the odd one,” Harry said with a half smile as they crossed into the forest, the darkness engulfing them almost immediately. There had always been something eery about the forest that made Harry uneasy, and tonight that feeling was even more present.  Harry swallowed slowly, looking from side to side as unease crept into his heart. The forest was dangerous, yes, but it had never looked this… _macabre_. Something was wrong, he was sure of it.

_Help me_

Harry froze at the sound of a faint, high pitched voice. It hadn’t sounded… human.

_Harry_

Harry’s blood ran cold, his hands tightening on the reins. He stopped his mare, jumping down on instinct. He distantly wondered what the hell was wrong with him as he let go of his mare. 

“Harry?” Merlin whispered softly, getting off his horse quickly. “Harry what the bloody hell are you doing?” 

Harry bit his lower lip. “There’s someone calling me, Merlin,” the man admitted, his tone hesitant, knowing his friend would never let him live this down if he turned out to be wrong. 

“What?” Merlin all but growled, looking back to see the horses huffing in distress. “Harry, we need to get back on our-”

“Merlin there’s someone here,” Harry said, this time more firmly. “There’s someone in danger.” 

Merlin gaped at his friend, his brows raising as Harry took off running. “What the hell are you doing, Harry?” Merlin barked, unsheathing his own sword as he followed his idiot friend. 

Harry hid behind a large tree, grabbing Merlin by his arm to pull him in close. He brought his hand up to his lips, making it clear that he needed Merlin to _shut the hell up_. Merlin’s face scrunched up in confusion as he looked into Harry’s eyes. There was a tinge of red in them that made Merlin’s heart drop to the floor. He had heard before of the forest's magic, but he had never expected it to be real and that red... well it wasn't exactly something that screamed normalcy. 

_What the hell was happening?_

Merlin swallowed hard, moving slightly to the side to look past the tree. He covered his mouth as a gasp escaped him at the sight; there, in a small clear in the middle of the forest stood Chester King and King Valentine - one of King Lee’s long standing enemies - talking. Chester held a rather large red ruby - or what appeared to be a ruby - in his hand, moving it from side to side as he motioned with his hands. 

Merlin’s jaw dropped to the floor, feeling anger boil in his veins. Chester, the bastard, how could he betray his kingdom - his king - in such a way? Suddenly merlin’s rage died down, blooming into a cold, heartless acceptance that made him look older than his years.  Of course the man would be a traitor; someone as heinous as Chester was bound to be amoral. 

Merlin pressed closer to Harry to whisper in his ear. “Why the hell is he holding a stone in his hand?” Merlin murmured, sounding unnerved. “And what the fuck is Valentine doing here?” 

Harry shrugged softly. “It doesn’t matter. We need to stop them.” 

Merlin nodded. “What do you propose we do?” 

Harry bit his lip, cursing at himself for not having brought back up. While he was sure either he or Merlin could take on Chester, he wasn’t so sure about Valentine. While he had never fought the man personally, there were many rumors about him, and about the fact that the king knew much of dark magic.  And, while Harry didn’t believe in magic, he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out whether these rumors were real or not in the middle of the night, in an isolated forest where no one would find them if they did indeed die. 

_Someone needed to warn the king._

“They’re moving,” Merlin said suddenly, grabbing Harry by the arm as he moved away from the tree and into the clearing. 

Harry, bold as he was, grazed Chester’s arm as he took the precious stone from him, suddenly feeling much calmer as he closed his hand around the rather warm rock. 

_Behind you!_

Harry whipped around, spurred into action by the urgency of the inhuman voice. He raised his blade, protecting himself just in time as a man whom he had never seen before tried to stab him in the heart. 

_Where the hell had this man come from?_

“Get the bloody stone!” Valentine roared, his nostrils flaring with anger. 

Harry staggered backwards, regaining his footing quickly enough. He fought the man, smiling to himself as he saw Merlin attack Valentine from the side. 

So, the stone _was_ important after all. Harry wasn’t sure he wanted to know why. He felt betrayed enough already. His father, while always accepting that Chester was more than a bit eccentric, had always esteemed him, going to him for advise on occasion. 

Harry felt repulsed at the thought that he had spent many afternoons with the man during his childhood. Hell, he had even admired the man at one point. 

_God he was going to be sick._

Harry let all of his frustration out as he fought who he presumed to be one of Valentine’s soldiers, finally cutting the man’s head off with one clean slash. 

Valentine looked away, clearly disgusted by the sight. He raised his hand and sent Merlin flying backwards without ever touching him. Merlin groaned but staggered back up, clutching his side with a wince. Valentine slapped the air in front of him, his hands like claws. Suddenly, the soldier’s body dissolved into ashes. 

Harry froze, his eyes widening. The body had just _dissolved_ in front of his very eyes. Harry dropped the stone, feeling numb.

Dear god, the rumors were true. 

Valentine turned to look at him, his eyes shining as he whispered something unintelligible. He closed his hand and brought it to his lips. He opened it again and blew in Harry’s direction, a dark powder adhering itself to Harry’s skin. 

Harry howled in pain, falling to his knees as he felt his skin burn away. He felt like his bones were being crushed slowly, his brain feeling like it was going to explode by the pressure. He screwed his eyes shut, his muscles screaming in pain. 

“Harry!” Merlin screamed, watching in horror as his friend was enveloped by a black cloud that hid him from view. 

The man ran towards his friend, forgetting about Valentine for a moment. The cloud finally dissolved, but what was left in its stead threatened to undo Merlin.  Harry was all but gone, and in his stead, laid a large, snow-white Swan. The animal flapped it’s wings softly, clearly too tired to fly. 

“Harry?” Merlin whispered as he crouched in front of the Swan and stared into it’s chocolate brown eyes. They looked just like Harry’s eyes. “Oh my god,” Merlin choked out. 

Valentine laughed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I do believe your friend looks much prettier now.” The man closed his hand again. “And now it is your turn.” 

Merlin’s senses snapped into survival mode at that, his eyes narrowing. He picked up both Ha- the Swan and the stone, running back into the trees. He heard Valentine murmur something but he didn’t dare look back, wanting to get his helpless friend out of there as fast as possible. Suddenly the stone shone brightly just as a red force field - or what Merlin assumed to be a force field - encased Merlin, absorbing the black particles that Valentine had thrown at him. 

He kept running for a while, almost weeping with relief as he spotted Harry’s mare in the distance. He mounted Epona with a bit of difficulty as he had his hands full. A part of him wanted to put the stone away to be able to ride the horse, but there was something that told him that the stone had been the one to protect him from Valentine, and - if that was true - then there was no way in hell he was putting it down any time soon. 

Suddenly, the mare took off, clearly having plans of her own. 


	2. Unexpected Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I may not always be there with you, but I will always be there for you.”  
> \- Unknown

Epona rode hard and fast, seemingly knowing the forest better than the two men. She rode through the darkness, her hair standing on edge as she sensed that her master was in trouble. Merlin took ahold of her neck, gently, and held on, protecting Harry’s new - smaller - body as best he could from the branches and the cold night air. The swan remained unnaturally still, whether because of fatigue or fear Merlin couldn't say. 

Soon enough the mare slowed down as they reached a vast clearing. She sniffled the air, swatting her tail from side to side as she huffed out. She kept going, the moonlight making the path rather visible. Merlin didn’t even try to control the animal, feeling a strange sense of safety at letting Epona take the lead. He had no idea what to do, but the mare seemed to know what she was doing and, for the moment, that was enough. 

The mare rode down a small hill past the clearing, where she came to a stop next to a long lake. The water seemed to be clear and clean, if the reflection of the moon and the stars on it was anything to go by. The Lake also seemed to be quite deep, especially towards the center, where it was hardest to see anything past the surface. Merlin dismounted Harry’s horse, distantly wondering where his own horse had run off to. He really hoped to find the animal before the night was out. Harry suddenly flew out of Merlin’s grasp, quickly making his way onto the water.

It was as if the water itself was calling him, his instincts taking over. Merlin watched, half mesmerized, half horrified as the white swan swam to the middle of the lake, its silhouette reflected on the water, made darker by the bright moonlight. 

“Oh, Harry,” Merlin choked out, feeling a share stab of despair course through him. 

He had no idea whether or not his friend could understand him. Hell, he wasn’t even sure that that was his friend anymore. There was a great chance that Valentine had killed his friend with his spell, leaving in his stead a beautiful swan that now belonged to the wilderness. He didn’t even know if the animal could understand what was happening. 

The knight knew he should probably leave his friend - he had a king to go warn and protect - but he couldn’t bring himself to move. It felt wrong to leave his best friend behind like that. Harry would have never left him. The swan would probably die if Merlin left, especially if Valentine and Chester were still roaming around. 

Merlin sat on the ground and burrowed his face in his hands, feeling helpless. In the course of one wretched night he had lost his best friend and commander, and he had also lost his loyal horse. He took a few deep breaths, trying his hardest to think of a way to solve his current predicament. 

“Don’t fret, my friend,” said a whispery voice from behind him as a cloaked figure appeared out of thin air. 

Merlin jumped to his feet, immediately drawing out his sword. He whirled around, coming face to face with a man that looked not much older than himself. The stranger was wearing a long, blue cloak, which - being shapeless-kept his body hidden. His hair was dark, and his irises were of an unnatural gold color. 

“Who are you?” Merlin growled, his eyes shining with a glint of danger as he pointed the sword towards the newcomer as a silent warning.  

The man raised his hands, trying to appease the knight. “I’m not here to harm you,” he assured Merlin. “I am trying to help you.” 

“You can’t help me,” Merlin said immediately, feeling a spike of intrigue despite his reservations. He needed to know who the stranger was, and, more importantly, whether those unnatural eyes of him hid the magic underneath. 

The man smiled at the knight good-naturedly. “I can help you bring your friend back.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened, and he almost dropped his sword in his shock. “That’s impossible.” 

The man shook his head. “For you, perhaps, given that you are not trained in magic, but it is not impossible for me.” He took a tentative step closer, slowing his movements for Merlin’s peace of mind. His fingers glistened with harmless looking golden sparks, and he smiled at the young knight. 

Merlin swallowed hard as he lowered the sword slightly, clearly unsure. “How do I know I can trust you?”  

“If I wanted to kill you I could have done so the minute you put that stone down,” the man said matter-of-factly as he pointed to the ruby resting by Merlin’s feet.

Merlin stifled a gasp and held back the many new questions this statement brought to mind, instead choosing to finally relent, sheathing his sword once again. “Alright, then, please help him.”

The magician - or whom Merlin assumed was a magician - came closer, picking up the stone from the ground with gentle fingers and a reverent look. He walked towards the lake and crouched, beckoning the swan closer once the animal turned to look at him.  

The swan came willingly, if a bit nervously, his movements neither that of man or animal. The man smiled at the swan, petting its head once it was close enough to touch. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”  The man closed his eyes, and whispered something unintelligible. The stone began to shine, and he pressed it against the animal’s head, his murmurs becoming louder. Merlin tried to make sense of the words coming out of the man’s mouth to no avail. 

Suddenly the lake shone brightly, the white light coming from the black water matching the strength of the red light emanating from the ruby. The display forced Merlin to close his eyes, as it became too bright for his eyes to handle. He opened them again once everything settled, letting out a cry of joy at the sight of his friend sprawled on the ground, looking extremely disoriented. 

“Oh thank god, Harry. I thought I had lost you,” Merlin half sobbed, tackling his friend into a hug. 

“How interesting,” the golden eyed man murmured mostly to himself, his eyes never leaving the stone in Harry’s hand. 

Harry groaned in pain as Merlin squeezed his still regrowing bones. “Careful there, Merlin. I don't think everything's back in place yet.” 

“Oh, sorry,” the knight was quick to apologize, pulling away with worried eyes. “Are you alright? How can I help?” 

“I’m not sure,” Harry admitted. “I feel.. different.” 

 Merlin frowned. “Different how?” 

“My body feels… more flexible I suppose. I feel lighter. I also feel… weaker, but... I also feel like I could crush a thousand men.” Harry swallowed hard, his eyes distant. “I don’t know what’s happening to me, Merlin. Have I gone insane?” 

“We’ll have the doctors check you once we go back to the palace,” Merlin said tightly, giving his friend a worried look. 

“I’m afraid you can’t do that,” the magician admitted, giving the two friends a sympathetic look before his eyes returned to the stone in Harry's hand. 

Merlin turned to look at him, a brow raised and his eyes cold, his thankfulness all but banishing. “Pardon me?” 

“Your friend is in no condition to leave the forest,” the man deadpanned, looking unimpressed. “Valentine’s spell is far too strong for me to fully undo. He can only conserve his human form from sundown to sunrise. That stone in his hand-” the magician pointed at the ruby “- is what allowed me to bring your friend back. The stone chose him. They are tied together now.” 

Harry gaped, looking at the man like he had just spoken in a different language. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“The stone you’re holding is no small thing,” the man said simply. “It is the heart of this forest. It is the most powerful magic stone you will find in this part of the world. It generally chooses a master, and it works best with those pure of heart. The stone has accepted your heart as worthy.” 

Harry snapped his mouth shut, looking at the stone with a hint of fear in his eyes. “Well what the hell am I supposed to do with it?”

 “The stone is not meant only for your protection. It is meant to protect the forest.” The magician tilted his head slightly. “The stone chooses our King. It is the ultimate sign of royalty in the forest. It is your source of power, and our source of hope. It is what stands between us and the darkness.” 

Harry suddenly stood up, paling as the vertigo hit him. “Wait, stop. I don’t-” He took a second to compose himself, not knowing whether to throw the stone into the river or give it back to the strange man. “I am no king. I don’t… I am a knight. I don’t command kingdoms. I have my own king to protect.” 

“You have no king,” the man said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You stopped having a king the minute Valentine put a spell on you. No magical creature answers to a human king. And with the stone you now possess, you answer to no one but yourself.” 

“I _am_ human!” Harry snapped, clenching his fists. 

“I am afraid you are not fully human anymore,” the magician said calmly, looking almost bored. “Your very core has been changed, which is why you feel different physically and mentally.” 

Harry opened his mouth and the closed it, only to do it twice more before stopping. He couldn't argue the fact that he did indeed feel different. “I am not-”

“The stone chose you, whether you like it or not,” The man said with a roll of his eyes. “Now, if you really want to help the human king, then you will assume your duties, and you will assume them quickly. Valentine and his cronies are after the stone. So long as you keep it from them, your realm is safe; so long as you protect the forest, the human kingdom will bloom.” 

Harry sighed, looking out to the dark lake. “Can I ever go back?” 

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” the magician said softly, coming to stand next to Harry. “Don’t worry, Harry, I will guide you every step of the way.”

Harry turned to look at the man. “How do you know my name?” 

The man smiled but shrugged, not willing to say anything else other than, "If it makes you feel better, my name is Percival. Now we both know each other's name." 

“Is there any way to break this bloody spell?” Harry said, knowing it was useless to ask. Percival had said as much just a few moments ago.

The magician tilted his head to the side, giving Harry a curious look. “The only way to break the spell is if someone pure of heart - who has never loved before - falls in love with you and you with them. That way, the stone will reach its peak level of power, and you can break the spell. They also need to remain loyal to you, for, if not, the stone will lose its power.” 

Harry held back a growl, his shoulders hunching. It was a lost cause then. There was no one that he knew that was pure of heart and had never been in love before, and - now that he was stuck in the forest - he wouldn’t even get the chance to go out and find that someone.  

Of course, something like this had to happen to him; it was always like this. Only he could get stuck as king in a place he didn’t know, under a spell he didn’t understand, and a body that didn’t feel his own anymore. 

“Harry-” Merlins started, noticing the the trembling of his friend’s hands.  

“I’m fine,” the man said tensely, not wanting to draw any more attention onto himself. “There’s no point on dwelling on this. You should go back and warn Lee. I’ll stay here and… try to understand where the hell to go from here.” 

Merlin stood up, knowing that he would not be able to dissuade Harry now that he had made up his mind. “I will come back Harry, I promise.”

The man nodded, not looking back at Merlin. A part of him wanted to believe his friend, but a larger part new that that was simply not true. “Take Epona with you, Merlin, and take care of her for me." 

The knight nodded, feeling a pang of sadness. It felt like losing a limb. Harry loved that horse, and letting Merlin take her meant Harry was truly giving up on the possibility of returning. Merlin gave Harry’s hand a squeeze before departing, holding back his tears. It was his turn to protect Lee, if only to not let this be in vain.

Harry turned to face the magician, his features darkening. “And now it’s time you explained things in more detail.” 

The magician nodded, looking amused. “If you’d follow me, I’ll take you to your throne. We need to induct you properly... your Majesty.”

Harry swallowed hard, not liking the sound of that at all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okayyyy so we still have about 1 or 2 more chapters that will be mostly to set up the story, but I do hope you like them!


	3. Of Riddles and Warnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Dominance. Control. These things the unjust seek most of all. And so it is the duty of the just to defy dominance and to challenge control.”  
> ― Robert Fanney

Merlin rode with Epona through the forest, frowning as he noticed that something had shifted in the mystical place. First of all, it wasn’t nearly as dark anymore. There were small glowing lights floating around the air, making the cold night warmer. The previously decrepit looking trees now looked much more alive, and there were quite a few flowers that Merlin was pretty sure he had never seen before. It was as if the forest was purposefully trying to look better to impress someone, either that or it had been revitalized by forces outside of itself. 

Probably both, especially if that stone Harry now had had anything to do with it. 

They reached the town faster than Merlinhad thought possible. He was pretty sure the forest itself had had something to do with it. The mare kept going, not stopping once as they raced through the bridge. Merlin dismounted Epona as soon as they were within the castle grounds, handing her to one of the stable boys before running off to find the King, his heart in his mouth. 

_What if he was too late? What if Chester had succeeded?_

Merlin ran faster, not turning when he heard his name called by a few of the other knights, who clearly wanted to know why the hell he was running through the halls this late at night. Merlin reached Lee’s study, not bothering to knock. He didn’t actually know if the man was in there - there was a high chance he was in his bedchambers with his wife - but he had to try there first. He yanked the door open, his eyes looking frenzied as he looked towards the desk. 

Lee sat there, looking tired and stressed, holding a piece of paper on his hand. Merlin closed the door behind him, coming to stand in front of his friend with sad and heavy eyes. 

Lee sat up, his shoulders hunching up as his brows furrowed. “Merlin you look… shaken. What’s the matter my friend? Did something happen while you went patrolling?” 

“Chester has committed treason, my lord,” Merlin said quickly, still trying to catch his breath. “Harry and I saw him with Valentine, sir. They were… uh, they were holding a red stone, my lord, a magic stone. We proceeded to attack and managed to take the stone away but not before Valentine could put a spell on Harry.” 

Lee abruptly stood up, his eyes looking glassy. “No, oh god no, please tell me he’s not dead,” the man breathed out, clenching his fists as his heart nearly gave out. 

Merlin shook his head, looking grim. “No, my lord, he’s alive, but he… Valentine placed a curse on him. He turned Harry into... he turned him into a swan, your majesty.” 

Lee looked faint. “What? How is that even possible-”

“I couldn’t believe it either, sire, but it happened nevertheless." Merlin clenched and unclenched his fists. "The stone - the one we took away from them - helped us bring Harry back.”

Lee licked his lips, looking lost. “Us? Who is us?” 

“We found a… magician in the forest, my lord,” Merlin murmured, looking uneasy. He still wasn't sure what to make of Percival or the stone or the damn forest in general. Everything was too fresh in his mind to make sense of it. 

“But if you broke the spell then where the hell is Harry?” Lee asked bewildered, half turning as if expecting to see Harry walk through the door any second now. 

“He can’t come back, my lord,” Merlin sighed, sounding mournful. “The spell wasn’t fully broken, and his new state prevents him from leaving the forest. He is tied to the stone now - for lack of a better word.”

Lee covered his mouth, tears watering his eyes. Merlin sighed, coming closer to hug his friend. Lee leaned heavily against his knight, his hands trembling slightly against Merlin’s back as they allowed themselves a second to mourn. 

“There’s no use in mourning, my friend,” Merlin said after a few moments, trying to offer some level of solace despite his own grieving heart. “You have a kingdom to run, and a son that needs you. Harry will be fine, I promise, and I swear to you that I will not let you or your family come to any harm.” 

Lee nodded, not trusting his voice. He couldn’t shake off the guilt which was choking him. He had been the one to send Harry and Merlin into the forest. He could have sent any knight, but he had chosen his two closest friends, just because _he_ had wanted to feel safe, and now - because of his selfish decision - Harry was gone. 

“Lee,” Merlin chastised, knowing exactly where his friend’s mind was going. “None of this is your fault, so stop blaming yourself. Harry would never blame you, so you don’t get to blame yourself.” 

The king nodded reluctantly, finally pulling away. “I know, but-”

“No, Lee, no buts,” Merlin insisted, his voice leaving no room for arguments. “Now, it is time you go and attend both your wife and your son. I will tighten the security and send a party to scout the area for Chester.” 

Lee nodded, picking up his crown from his desk. “Be careful my friend,” he pleaded, before opening the door to his study to go see his wife. 

Merlin smiled softly .“I always am.”

* * *

Percival and Harry walked deeper into the forest, a pair of golden doors appearing out of nowhere. Percival pushed them open to reveal a gleaming room, adorned with various diamonds and silks. The room had a variety of plants inside, and the ceiling seemed to be made out of translucent glass that allowed Harry to look at the starry night sky. 

At the far end of the room stood two majestic seats, made of what looked to be oak and gold. There were several rubies incrusted into one of the two. Percival guided Harry towards the two thrones, pointing towards the one adorned by rubies. The magician waved his hand, making the think layer of dust that covered the entire room disappear. 

“Your throne, you Majesty,” Percival explained with a smile. "It's been many years since we have had someone sit on it. We had feared the stone would die due to disuse. No one worthy has come into the forest in almost a century." 

Harry winced, still not liking the title. “Please... don’t call me that.” 

Percival sighed, clearly annoyed by Harry’s antics. “Whether you like it or not, you are a king now, and the creatures of this forest will address you as such. It’s something you’ll have to get used to.” Percival licked his lips. “Now sit, boy," he said, giving in, just once, to the silly request of dropping the formal title. 

Harry gave him an amused smile, noticing that - despite the fact that he had chided Harry for not wanting to be called “your majesty” - he had decided to listen to his request, demoting him to “boy” instead. 

Harry finally sat down, much to his chagrin, but he shook himself; if Percival was willing to give in to him, then he too needed to indulge the man. It was only fair. He could feel the air shift in the room as soon as he sat down, as if the stone and the throne were connected somehow. 

“Many of your new… subjects, will want to come pay their respects,” Percival said as nonchalantly as possible, assessing Harry’s reaction. 

The younger man stiffened, glaring at Percival as the man smiled deviously at him. Finally, he sighed. “I suppose it’s unavoidable."  

Percival hummed, pleased by Harry’s fast acquiescence. Suddenly the room grew colder, and a cloaked figure appeared in the middle of the room. Harry rose to his feet quickly, unsheathing his sword. 

“So violent,” the voice teased, pulling his hood back to reveal a handsome looking man who had a most mischievous smile. “Here I was thinking the stone would choose someone a bit more… mellow.”

Percival rolled his eyes. “What are you doing here, James?” 

“Oh, come on, Percy,” the man said as he sauntered closer. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t know the minute the stone chose a new master? You insult me, darling.” 

Percival sighed, jabbing James on the ribs as soon as he was close enough. James yelped, eliciting a wink from the magician, who looked anything but sorry. 

“Oh don’t look at me like that, James. That’s what you get for coming unannounced.” Percival moved slightly to the side, allowing his friend to stand in front of the newly appointed king. 

“Well excuse me for wanting to provide my services in advance,” James said, feigning to be offended. 

“Pardon me, but who are you?” Harry said as politely as possible once he sheathed his sword. 

“Oh how rude of me,” the man said, extending his hand. “My name is James.” He gave Harry a wink. “I’m what you humans call a seer.” 

“James,” Percival began, but Harry had taken James’s hands by then. 

The man’s blue-grey eyes suddenly turned bright green, his skin paling. “You wish terribly to break the curse,” the man said, his voice distant. "You are afraid you’ll never find someone to love.” Suddenly the seer smiled, his eyes seeing something that wasn’t there. “Oh you _will_ fall in love, my liege. There’s no question about that. The real question is whether or not the other person will make the right choice.” 

Harry felt his blood rush out of his face. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” 

James suddenly dropped Harry’s hand, his eyes returning to their original color. “How the hell am I supposed to know?” He said simply, rearranging his dark cloak. “I’m a seer, not an oracle. This thing comes and goes, your Majesty.” 

Harry looked at them, mouth agape, looking like he was ready to kill the man. Percival couldn’t help but chuckle, giving James a fond look as the man flopped next to Harry. 

“I believe you’ve overstayed your welcome, James,” Percival said gently, tilting his head to the side as he watched the seer rub his eyes. 

The man hummed. “Perhaps you’re right.” He huffed out a chuckle. “Alright, alright, I’ll go for now, but don’t you think just because I’m being nice today and letting you rest means you won’t be seeing me again.” 

Harry watched the man turn into nothingness, not sure how he felt about that last statement. 

“He’s a pain in the arse, but he’s a good man,” Percival said, still looking at the now empty seat with fond eyes. 

Harry hummed noncommittally standing up with a bit of difficulty. “If you say so.” He sighed, looking around the room. “Do you know what he meant?”

Percival shook his head. “I’m afraid most of James’s riddles make sense only after they’ve come to pass.” 

“Fantastic,” Harry said with a scowl, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Percival chuckled. "Come then, it's time we make you King." 

* * *

Chester growled, turning to face Valentine. “You promised me things would run smoothly.”

The man sighed, giving Chester an annoyed look. “They will. It will just take longer.” 

“I have just been labeled as a traitor. How can they possibly get better,” the man said. “My son will be killed-”

“Oh stopped being so melodramatic,” Valentine snapped. “Your son is fine. I’ve already sent my men to retrieve him. You will stay in my kingdom until it is safe for you to return.” 

Chester rolled his eyes. “It will never be safe, you-”

“Are you doubting me, Chester?” Valentine said, his tone low and cold, his eyes calculating. “I always stay true to my promises. You should know that by now. There is nothing a bit of magic can’t solve. Lee _will_ die, it is only a matter of finding the right opportunity.” Valentine mounted his horse. “Now stop whining and get on the horse, there are many things yet to do, especially now that this wretched forest has recognized a new master.” 

“You won’t be able to defeat that knight,” Chester warned, mounting his own horse. “He is the best one we’ve had in centuries.” 

Valentine bared his teeth, his black eyes shining with murderous rage. “ _Watch me._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh, so - in case it wasn't clear - James won't be dying in this fic. I also have to warn you that my updates may slow down (to once a week as opposed to twice) because of my course load + I have been suffering from migraines lately, and it's very hard to write when sick.
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter!


	4. Protect him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am a wolf. It is in my nature to be kind, gentle, and loving. 
> 
> But know this:
> 
> When it comes to matters of protecting my friends, my family, and my heart, do not trifle with me, for I am also the most powerful and relentless creature you will ever know."  
> \- Anonymous

Harry looked out his window, taking deep breath. The sun would be up soon, he knew, so he was enjoying his last moments in his human form. It had been eight years, and yet he still couldn’t find it in him to like the fact that every morning he turned into a bloody swan. It was oh so inconvenient for him, especially when he needed his body when it came to performing certain duties as king. 

Admittedly, he had gotten much better at being a Swan. After a few excruciating months of meditating half his nights away, he had been able to merge more strongly with the stone, allowing his human consciousness to remain awake once the Swan came out. It made it much easier for him to perform his duties, if he was honest. While he still conducted most of his business at night - when in human form - he had turned to scheduling pressing matters that he just didn’t have the time to deal with at night to the early hours of the morning. 

Still, not because he was finally getting his shit together meant that he had to like it _._ He still despised the fact that he had been the one chosen by the stone. Being a king was no easy task, and being the king of an enchanted forest which was constantly under attack, not only by humans but by greedy wizards such as Valentine, made it a pain in the neck to rule. He was the forest’s most capable protector and it was fucking draining to be marred in battles day in and day out. 

It was _his_ duty to keep the creatures living in it safe, no matter how small, and it was _his_ job to keep the caladrius ready to perform their duties. It was _his_ duty to listen to the complaints of the many creatures living in his forest, and it was his duty to solve said complaints. It was _his_ duty to oversee the training of the lycans, as well as the training of the warrior nymphs and the “valkyries” as many humans called them.

His duties were seemingly unending, which provided no small amount of amusement to both Percival and James, who had taken their place as his advisors, even if most of the time they were only there to offer their companionship and a witty jab here and there. Not that he didn’t appreciate that - it was rather nice to have at least two people that treated him like a normal being as opposed to treating him like an untouchable king. It was almost excruciating to deal with the respect the many creatures treated him with, especially with the way his father had brought him up.

_A human is coming_ the wind whispered softly around him as the ruby encrusted on his crown glowed in warning.  

Harry’s eyes narrowed as he suddenly pushed himself out the window, taking ahold of a long branch that elongated itself to accommodate Harry. It delivered the King safely unto the ground before reassuming its natural position. 

Harry walked to the lake in silence, hearing through the earth the keen sound of hoofs clanking against the fertile soil. The king stopped at the far edge of the lake, waiting patiently for the intruder to reach the lake on their own. He was in no rush to kill tonight. 

Soon enough, the hooded figured appeared, making Harry freeze in place. 

That was Epona - albeit looking worn and old now. 

Merlin threw back his hood, coming to a halt near Harry. He stared at the king for a long moment, taking his time to drink the man in before dismounting. Harry looked regal, which was strange considering the last time Merlin had seen him, the man had still been just a knight. He looked every bit the king he now was, although he also looked very tired, which made Merlin feel no small amount of guilt. He came closer, almost hesitantly, unsure as to what Harry was thinking. The man still had not moved or said a single word since Merlin had unhooded himself, which wasn’t necessarily a good sign. 

“Merlin,” Harry greeted finally, his voice cool and distant, his face impassive. “I… can’t say I was expecting to see you after all these years.” 

“It’s good to see you looking so healthy, my friend,” Merlin said, his voice rougher than before. “It’s been a while.” 

“Eight years,” Harry confirmed, his voice still as impassive as before. “I am assuming you have a reason for being here so late at night?” 

“Can’t I just visit an old friend?” Merlin complained, though his argument sounded weak and his eyes looked guilty. 

Harry huffed out a breath, reigning in the temptation to roll his eyes. He was a damn king now, showing his emotions was not a luxury often afforded to him. “You haven’t visited in eight years, my _friend._ I don’t see why you would start now,” he said coldly, throwing the word friend as an insult.  

Merlin winced, Harry’s subtle accusation hitting him like a slap to the face. “Believe me, Harry, if I could have visited, I would have, but I’m afraid I was indisposed.” 

Harry gave him a dubious look. “If you are about to excuse yourself, I don’t want to hear it. I don't care. You and I are not friends anymore, and you owe me no explanation,” he said coldly. “What are you doing here, Merlin?” 

Merlin flinched as Harry’s words rooted him to the spot. Never had his friend rebuffed him like this, but then again, he had every right to. “Lee is dead, Harry,” Merlin said softly, his face grim. 

_No._  

No, no no no, that could not be true. Harry’s breath hitched as he staggered backwards, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to form words but no sounds came out. Harry covered his mouth, a sharp stab of pain ringing through his body. Lee couldn’t be dead. Not now. Harry had stayed in the forest as king to help keep Lee alive, dammit! The man didn’t get to die on him, leaving Harry even more alone than before. 

Merlin walked towards Harry, knowing that there was a big chance he would be pushed away. He wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist, patting the man’s head as tears of his own rolled down his cheeks. 

“I tried to keep him safe,” Merlin murmured, sounding as guilty as a murderer does when confessing. “I’ve been scourging the country searching for his enemies for years. I even left the kingdom, following the whispers that a wizard almost as talented as Valentine was trying to make a move.” Merlin squeezed Harry closer, screwing his eyes shut. “I failed him, Harry… I failed you.” 

Harry gasped, Merlin’s absence suddenly coming into focus. His friend hadn’t been absent out of choice; he had been trying to keep Lee alive. Harry suddenly hugged Merlin back, letting out a small choked out sob. “Oh, Merlin, you didn’t fail anyone. It’s not your fault-”

“It _is_ my fault, Harry,” Merlin insisted, suddenly frantic. “Valentine sent one of his soldiers, disguised as one of our own. It was a young man.” Merlin took a deep breath as he leveled his eyes with Harry’s. “He sent him to kill me, Harry. He sent him knowing Lee would intervene.” 

“oh my god,” Harry breathed out, paling even further. 

“He pushed me out of the way just as he… as he,” Merlin suddenly stopped speaking, looking away towards the lake, his eyes swelling with tears. “He’d dead because of me, Harry.” 

Harry suddenly grabbed Merlin by the arm. “Don’t you dare blame yourself,” the king said with a sudden ferocity that startled Merlin. “ _He_ decided to confront Valentine’s minion. You couldn’t have stopped him even if you tried. Do you hear me, Merlin?” Harry cradled his friend’s face. “It is _not_ your fault.”   

Merlin placed his hands on top of Harry’s, his eyes looking ever stormier than before. “Valentine bewitched the kingdom,” he admitted. “After Lee died… Chester came, Harry. He killed the man - which I’m sure he planned with Valentine - and he was hailed a hero,” the man said bitterly. “He was proclaimed regent until Gary is of age. I couldn’t even protest, given that we have no prove he actually betrayed us, and Lee never said anything to the public, wanting to keep Michelle from worrying.” 

“Oh dear god,” Harry murmured, covering his eyes with the palm of his hand. Could this get any worse? 

_Yes, yes it could._   

Harry’s head suddenly snapped up. “Chester is going to try to kill the boy.” 

Merlin nodded, his face grim. “That is why I am here today,” Merlin admitted. “We need to hide him, Harry. The forest-”

“No,” the man said immediately. “This forest is no place for a human child, and, more importantly, Chester will declare him dead and assume the throne.” Harry licked his lips, his eyes shining with determination. “The prince must stay in the spotlight until he can claim the throne.” 

“Harry I won’t be able to protect him,” Merlin insisted, his voice pleading. “We can’t let the boy die.” 

“He won’t,” Harry assured him, suddenly turning away. “Follow me, Merlin.”

Harry walked quickly, not bothering to check whether or not Merlin was there. He guided Merlin into the castle, all the rooms now familiar to him. They walked quickly towards the stairs to go to the vaults, Harry's steps as quiet as the wind. Harry fisted his hand and whispered something before once again opening his hand. Suddenly, a bright white light appeared in his palm that guided them down the dark tunnel. 

Merlin gave no comments on what he thought about Harry’s new set of skills or about the ease with which he seemed to practice said skills, and Harry was grateful for it. The last thing he needed was his closest friend telling Harry that he had changed. He already knew he had. He didn't need someone else pointing it out.  

They suddenly reached a pair of green doors, which seemed to be locked, but there was no sign of a keyhole. Harry placed his hand on the door, and the door came alive as bright green lines moved around, forming a complicated design on the door. Once the design was complete, the doors opened, and Harry stepped in, looking back to give Merlin a reassuring look. 

“Welcome to my vaults,” Harry murmured, his voice resigned. While he couldn’t deny that many of the artifacts in the vaults were extremely interesting, and rather useful, he still missed his old life.  Harry walked past many rows filled with artifacts, stopping only when he reached a dark chest. He opened the heavy chest, taking out a small black, velvet box. 

“What is that?” Merlin asked, looking at the box with wary eyes.  

Harry opened the box to reveal a yellow spinel stone sitting on the inside. Merlin’s eyes widened at the sight. “How-”

“A protection stone,” Harry explained, “not unlike my own.” He touched his crown, making the ruby shine, which in turned made the spinel come to life. “It is not as strong, obviously, but it is the second strongest stone in the forest.” Harry turned to face Merlin, his eyes shining red like his stone. “The good thing about protection stones is that they can only be removed by the wearer, and each stone has only one specific weakness - which you don’t need to worry about.” He closed the box again and gave it to Merlin. “This stone is meant to be worn as a necklace, given that it generally belongs to the king’s spouse,” Harry admitted stiffly. 

Merlin frowned. “Are you sure you are allowed to give this away?”

Harry shrugged. “I am unmarried, and I am king. I can do whatever the hell I want, Merlin.” He smiled sheepishly. “There is a golden chain inside. Just put it around the boy’s neck, and he will be safe.” 

Merlin nodded, bringing Harry in for a hug. “I’m sure Lee would appreciate it.”

Harry chuckled sadly before nodding. “Take good care of him, Merlin, and also watch over Michelle. She will be mourning him for years to come and she will need you by her side.” 

Merlin nodded. “I’m his tutor now,” he admitted softly as he stepped away, the stone feeling heavy in his hand. "So, I'll keep a close eye on him... on them both."

“Make him into a man Lee would be proud of,” Harry asked, his eyes looking far too old for his still young body. 

“Oh, I will. It’s the least I can do for Lee.” 

Harry nodded, walking Merlin out of the vault. “Try to visit,” Harry breathed out, unable to contain the thought. “And take care of yourself.” 

Merlin nodded, swallowing hard. “Don’t worry, Harry. I’ll be back. I promise.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh, I hope you enjoyed the chapter <3\. As you may have noticed, I am taking time jumps in this fic. There are 2 more time jumps we'll have in the next two chapters.


	5. Catching up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Ignoring facts does not make them go away."  
> Fran Tarkenton

Harry and Merlin sat in Harry’s study, the crystalline lights shining bright above them. Merlin warmed his hands by pressing them harder against the cup of hot tea he had in his hands. 

While winter was harsh all throughout the kingdom, it seemed to be especially brutal in the forest and - having rode there - he was still trying to get his blood to flow properly. 

Harry watched him with an almost amused smile as he lounged on his chair, his tea left on the table. He played with his fingers, a few golden rings shining under the light. He looked at his hand, examining it closely. It felt…. tingly for some strange reason. 

“Are you alright, Harry?” Merlin inquired immediately, giving his friend a wary look. 

Harry gave him a warm smile, nodding almost immediately. “There’s no need to worry about me,” the man assured him, his eyes still looking distant. “You came here to tell me something."  

Merlin nodded, still not looking convinced. “Chester has changed the kingdom completely,” he admitted, his voice sounding bitter. “The rich get richer and the poor have nothing left to eat. He refuses to face the problems, preferring instead to throw lavish parties in the name of his bloody son, who is no better than any brat I’ve had the displeasure of meeting.” 

“Were you expecting differently?” Harry said, unimpressed. “It is Chester’s son you are talking about.” 

Merlin gave him a small smile, feeling a pang of nostalgia. He had missed this. He missed just simply being able to talk to his friend like the olden days. He missed having his friend as the head of the guard, when his duties were no more than to protect his king. Now, everything seemed to have changed. Now Harry was king, and he rarely had time to do much more than write the occasional letter.  

Not that Merlin blamed him, he had after all disappeared for about eight years, only to come back to ask for help. Still, he had really hoped to see Harry more often after he had managed to come back, but his hopes had died a swift death. He and Harry were too busy to see each other often. In fact, he was quite sure, he hadn’t seen Harry more than a handful of times during the past four years. 

“How fares the young prince?” Harry asked as he always did when Merlin came to visit. 

Merlin smiled, wondering not for the first time if that was something Harry actually needed to ask, or if he did it for Merlin’s benefit. - to keep his surprise at Harry using magic at a minimum.The knight knew that the stone Harry had given him to give to Eggsy was no ordinary thing, and he had the prickling suspicion that Harry could know Eggsy’s state of well being by virtue of the stone. Still, he couldn’t say he was sure. it could very well be his own paranoia when it came to magic. 

“He’s doing well,” Merlin finally replied, shrugging his suspicions off. Even if he still didn’t particularly like magic, this was Harry. The man would never have ulterior motives, no matter how good a magic user he was, especially not with Merlin. “He’s growing up rather fast. He is a bit of a troublemaker, but I’m confident he’ll grow out of it soon enough. He has recently established a friendship with lady Roxanne, a girl of his same years.”

Harry nodded. “And Michelle?” 

Merlin sighed, not meeting Harry’s gaze. “It’s been four years, but she refuses to move on. She… didn’t take Lee’s death well, Harry. She pends most of her time alone, and does not come out of the castle anymore.” Merlin sighed sadly. “I’ve been trying to get her to come out to get a bit of fresh air with me, but she won’t budge.” 

“She loved Lee immensely,” Harry whispered, his eyes turning sad and distant once again. “I’m sure she’ll come to her senses, though. She was always a strong woman. She just needs to find herself again.” 

Merlin nodded, his lips set in a thin straight line. “But perhaps it will be too late by then. Chester has changed many things, Harry.” 

“Even if she wouldn’t be grieving, she has no means of stopping Chester, my friend, “ Harry argued, sitting up straighter. “Not if Valentine is helping him, like we know he is.” 

Merlin conceded the point, standing up after a few moments. He turned his back to Harry, turning to look out the window. He had never imagined something could be as beautiful as the forest during winter. 

The snow never melted in the forest, and it was never spoiled, always looking as white as it did when it fell from the sky. The snow in fact, seemed to turn even whiter, sometimes becoming crystalline, just like Harry’s castle. The castle too seemed to change with the seasons, becoming almost a crystal fortress during the winter, shining red from the inside out whenever Harry activated his stone - or so James told Merlin. 

While he had just recently met the seer, he still wasn’t sure what to think of him. He was… eccentric at best, always wanting to cause some form of mischief that either Harry or Percival would have to fix later. It could be anything from fooling around with other creature’s schedules to make them late to hiding the centaurs’ prized battle horn - Harry had had to intervene on that one, to prevent the centaurs from murdering the seer in their outrage. 

“Chester has banned people from coming into the forest under the pretense that it is too dark and dangerous,” he murmured, finally remembering why he was there in the first place. “He knows your war with Valentine is not getting any better, and he can’t afford to let people find out any more than the whispers they already know. If they were to find out you’re still alive in the forest… they’d want you back.” 

Harry nodded. “Then you’ll have to be careful, Merlin. You shouldn’t come if there’s a chance they’ll catch you.” He stood up, coming to stand next to his friend. “Besides, he is partly right. This forest can be immensely dangerous, especially every time Valentine attacks. The creatures that live here only know humans at their worst, and they are not always able to distinguish between good and bad human beings.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened. “Do you think they’d actually attack us?” 

Harry sighed, turning to look at the window, his eyes searching for his now loved lake. “I don’t know, Merlin. I can't tell them not to, for Valentine's army is mostly composed of humans. All they’ve known, for years, is how cruel humans can be. Valentine has made sure that that’s the only thing they know. They know humans bring death, and nothing more. They don’t like humans here, Merlin, no matter what I tell them. You are an exception, and even you I wouldn’t dare let wonder around.” 

Merlin frowned, feeling a bit insulted on behalf of his people. “But _you_ are a human!”

Harry shook his head. “Not in their eyes, I’m not. I am a creature of the forest, just like them. I turn into a swan during the morning, and I become a man at night. I am not fully human anymore, not to mention, by being in possession of the stone, the forest responds to _me_ , and I to the forest. I feel it when the forest is attacked.” Harry turned to look at Merlin, and his friend gasped, finally noticing the change in Harry’s eyes which he hadn’t been able to spot before due to how dark the room was. 

Harry’s eyes were no longer chocolate brown; there was a tinge of ruby red in them, making them look sharper and a lot less human than before. 

Harry stiffened, trying to maintain his cool. He had expected Merlin to react badly, of course, but it still stung. He himself couldn't fully comprehend the changes, but he made do, and he wanted nothing more than to have his friend’s support.  He needed a comforting shoulder. He needed someone that would just shield him from the craziness that was his world. He was not even thirty seven yet for crying out loud, and yet he felt like a man without a country. He didn’t belong to the human world anymore. He had been stripped of his identity, and yet he didn’t belong to the forest either, not fully. 

There was a fundamental difference between he and his people; he loved the humans. Not all of them, that was true, but he still cared for them, and his people... his people despised the whole lot of humanity with a burning passion. 

“Come now, it’s time for you to go. It’s getting late, and they’re going to start to wonder where you are,” Harry said gently, guiding Merlin by the shoulder. “We’ll meet again when you’re able.”

Merlin nodded, remaining silent the rest of the way to the main gates. “Harry,” he said suddenly, feeling a pang of pain as the sudden fear of never seeing his friend again seized him. “You do know that no matter what you are or who you are, you will always be my best friend, right?” 

Harry stood speechless, his eyes going comically wide. He nodded numbly, not believing his ears.  He hadn’t lost his friend. He had never lost his friend. He may have lost everything else of his past life, but he had not lost his friend. 

“You know I will always care for you, Merlin,” Harry said after an embarrassingly long moment. “But you should go. You have a kingdom to protect, and a child that needs you.” 

Merlin suddenly smiled, the though of Eggsy warming his heart. Ever since his return he had personally seen to the boy’s education, becoming a friend and - more importantly - a father figure to him. It was wonderful seeing him grow day by day, his thoughts becoming more and more those of a young teen than those of a child. “He’s a good boy.” 

“I’m sure he is,” Harry said with a smile. “Come now, go back home, and keep yourself out of trouble.” 

Merlin nodded, finally leaving the castle, walking towards his new horse without looking back. 

Suddenly James appeared next to Harry. The king yelped, and jumped backwards, yet his jump wasn’t enough to shake James off. 

“Oi, where do you think you’re going I-” Suddenly James stopped speaking as his hand came in contact with Harry’s. His eyes turned bright green, the same shade they had been once before over twelve years ago.

_ oh bollocks _

“You shy away from your destiny, Harry Hart.” James voice was harsh and unnaturally loud. “You will have to make a choice now. Are you a human or are you the king?” James came closer, his eyes still unseeing. “You will also have to choose whether to trust or to keep to what’s known.” The man suddenly smiled. “Your time will come, Harry Hart, but- remember - he’ll have to choose as well.” 

 “He? Who is he?” Harry asked immediately, shaking himself from his initial stupor. 

“He will command your heart, Harry Hart, and you will have to make the choice, before he himself is subjected to the test.” 

“What test?" Harry said, feeling more and more frustrated by the moment. “What choice? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  

Suddenly James’s eyes turned blue-grey again and he fell to the floor, the spirit taking too much energy from him. 

Harry caught him mid-fall, forcing himself to suppress the frustration and fear that were cursing though his body, making him want to scream. Percival had once told him not to dwell on what the Seer said, and that was exactly what Harry was going to do. It mattered not who the _he_ was. Hell, it didn’t even matter whether or not it was true that one day he’d fall in love. 

He had better things to worry about at the moment; such as making sure James was alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOO as you may have noticed, there was a 4 year time gap. There will be another gap in next chapter, of 12 years, where you will get to meet Eggsy at twenty four. 
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying this! 
> 
> P.S Now that I'm mostly done setting up this world for you, Harry and Eggsy will be meeting VERY soon now.


	6. Let's go hunting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “The phrase "having it all" has little to do with having what we want.”  
> ― Jennifer Senior,

“Eggsy, stop chattering and pay attention,” Merlin snapped, giving the younger man a pointed look, his hand still resting against the chalk board. 

 Eggsy blushed, quickly turning to look at his mentor.”Sorry, Merlin,” he said with a sheepish smile, blushing slightly. 

“You can flirt with Lady Morton later, boy. You are in class right now,” Merlin chided, a glint of mischief in his eyes as he regarded the young woman who was trying - and failing - to look innocent. 

“I’m not flirting!” Eggsy protested immediately, blushing profusely as he slid down further in his seat. 

Roxy laughed next to him. “He wouldn’t be able to get me to look at him twice even if he tried,” she said with a smug smile, winking at Merlin. 

It was the magician’s turn to blush slightly as he turned away from the pair to continue on with his lesson. While he enjoyed teaching both Roxy and Eggsy, he did sometimes wonder what it would be like to teach them separately. It would certainly be easier. The two were too comfortable around one another, having spent so many childhood years together, sneaking out of the palace to explore the town. 

In fact, they still did that, except now they went further away on their adventures given that they now had horses and knew how to ride them well. Merlin wasn’t sure if they did it to try to give him a heart attack, or if it was merely because they were still young and got bored laughably easily. After all, he and Harry had been much the same when they had been their age. 

_Harry…._

And that was exactly why their roaming gave Merlin ulcers. Valentine could come and go whenever he pleased. He could ambush the two young nobles, and then what? How was the kingdom to survive if Eggsy died? Even Harry was starting to have difficulty controlling Valentine, as the wizard seemed to be getting stronger by the day, while Harry and his powers were getting progressively weaker. 

Merlin didn’t even want to think about it. 

“Merlin, are you alright?” Roxy asked as she got up. 

Merlin suddenly snapped out of his reverie, realizing too late that he had been quiet for quite a while now. 

“I’m... fine. I am actually releasing you both a few minutes early today,” he admitted reluctantly. 

Both their faces brightened at that, and they immediately got up grabbing their parchments and pencils, smiling broadly at Merlin. Suddenly Eggsy froze, frowning slightly at Merlin. “Wait, why are you letting us go early?” 

Merlin laughed at Eggsy’s defensiveness. They boy had been like that ever since he had had that discussion with his mother a bit over three months ago. Merlin had no idea what the Queen had told Eggsy, but it was obviously not something he had liked.  Still, Merlin couldn’t force Eggsy to tell him anything. They boy would come to him when he felt like he needed help, and then Merlin would listen. That’s how things had always worked, and Merlin wasn’t about to change them now. 

“Go spar for a bit,” Merlin suggested as he turned to pick up his books, not answering Eggsy's question. 

In truth, he didn’t particularly want to let them go early, especially knowing those two. They’d be out of the castle faster than lightning. However, he knew how much Eggsy despised Chester’s son, Charlie, and the brat was returning to the castle today. He didn’t want them meeting until it became absolutely necessary. The last thing he needed was the two getting into a fight - again. 

“Go now, we’ll talk tonight,” Merlin told Eggsy with a smile. “I believe you and I need to catch up.” 

Eggsy nodded, giving Merlin a hug, letting show his desperation. “Should I come by your study?” 

The man nodded, patting Eggsy’s shoulder softly. “Do try to stay in the castle,” Merlin said as sternly as he could, making Eggsy grin as he whirled around and ran out of the room, taking Roxy by the hand. 

Oh those two would be the death of him. 

* * *

“Are you alright, Eggsy?” Roxy said finally as they prepared their horses. She had been meaning to ask him for a few days now, but had not found the courage until now.  She knew Eggsy would probably not say anything, but it was her duty as his best friend to say something. 

His face darkened at Roxy’s words. He stopped petting his horse, moving instead to pick out his bow to avoid answering her question. 

Roxy sighed. “Eggsy-”

“Mother has decided that I must find a wife by the time of the ball, and - if I haven’t - then I must pick a girl there,” he said, his face grim. While he didn't want to talk about it, a part of him did want to commiserate with someone that would be sympathetic to his plight. "She said that the ball would be the perfect time to announce my intended, considering that we are holding it for my birthday and every noble will be there."  

Roxy gasped, suddenly looking outraged. “But why would she-”

“Chester said that he won't let me ascend to the throne unless I marry,” Eggsy explained as he hung his bow across his back. “He’s just trying to keep me from taking the throne on my birthday, and mother won’t let him do that. You know how much she hates Chester, and how much she hates everything he has done.” 

Roxy’s face fell, coming closer to give her friend a hug. “I’m so sorry, Eggsy.” 

He squeezed her closer, sighing again. “I just… I wanna get married out of love, not because I need to get married to keep my throne. It shouldn’t be like that, Rox. I shouldn’t - I don’t want to-” He seemed to be at a loss for words as he struggled to explain his racing emotions. “I wanna fall in love, Rox, and I won’t be able to.” 

She bit her lip, trying to think of something to say, something that might provide some comfort to her friend. “Perhaps you will come to love whomever you choose,” she said hesitantly. “Perhaps you will fall in love with her without even realizing.” 

“I won’t,” Eggsy said brokenly. “I know I won’t. You know I won't.” He gave his friend a desperate look. “I can’t do this, Rox. I don’t want to have to be miserable for the rest of my life, just because they won’t let me choose.”

“How about we go hunting?" She said suddenly, not able to bear seeing her friend look so miserable. "You can practice your archery there. Perhaps you’ll get lucky and you’ll be able to beat me,” Roxy said softly, giving Eggsy a wink. She placed her hand on Eggsy’s arm. “Come on, we’ll go into the forest without anyone noticing. I’m sure we can find something there to hunt. They say that there are all sorts of creatures.” She smiled at him, pushing him towards his horse. “My mother used to say that there are huge, white swans there.”

Eggsy didn’t look convinced. “It’s getting late. The sun will be down soon.” 

She arched a brow. “Do you honestly think we can’t hunt something before the sun goes down? Come on, we’ll be back before dinner.” 

Eggsy sighed, but gave her an indulgent smile. “So, what, we are going to go looking for swans?” 

She shrugged. “How about this; the one that hunts the most beautiful animal wins.” 

Eggsy grinned, mounting his horse. This was exactly why he loved Roxy. He could always count on her to provide some distraction. “You’re on, mate.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh so our twenty four year old Eggsy is finally here, lol, and he'll be meeting Harry next chapter
> 
> Something I should clarify: I do not approve of hunting animals, but the time period + the story called for it.


	7. Meeting you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “He smiled in a way that made me want to kiss him right on the spot. Or the lips. Whichever was closer.”  
> ― Shannon Hale

They reached the edge of the forest faster than expected as no one had stopped them on their way there. Well, more accurately, Roxy had made sure they took routes that would not get them caught. Eggsy grinned at his friend, patting his horse softly as the animal huffed out a breath. 

“I think we should go off on different directions,” Eggsy mused out loud, tilting his head. “If we’re actually competing, then we shouldn’t go together.” 

Roxy mulled the reckless thought over before nodding. She had heard the tales of the forest's dangers, but, honestly, she wasn't convinced and she was sure Eggsy could defend himself if something did happen. Not that she liked leaving her friend alone either way. “We’ll meet back here then?” 

Eggsy nodded, looking up at the sky. “We should both be back here by the time the moon is out.” 

Roxy nodded again, checking her side to see if her sword was in place. “And if not?” 

Eggsy bit his lip, finally stopping to think about how bad their plan was. “We call Merlin.” 

While he didn’t particularly want to get the knight involved, he knew it was better to be scolded by Merlin and get out alive of the forest than be eaten slowly by some strange animal. 

“You’re on then,” She murmured with a laugh as she took off, fast as lightning. 

Eggsy huffed out a laugh and followed, going in the opposite direction as Roxy. He soon had to come to a halt, however, as the trees grew closer and closer together, as if trying to keep the young prince out. Eggsy frowned, miffed by the plants’ insistence. Finally he dismounted his horse, tying the docile animal to a near tree. 

He questioned his own choice for a second, before retrieving his quiver of arrows. There was no one to rival his sense of direction. He was sure he would be able to find his horse later. Besides, it was better for the animal to stay nearer to the edge of the forest. Eggsy had never wandered too far into the forest - mostly because of Merlin’s warnings - thus he still wasn’t sure what he could find there. He didn’t want to risk his JB’s safety.

He patted the animal reassuringly one last time before taking off, bypassing the branches as best he could. Finally, the forest seemed to give up on keeping him away, and the branches moved out of Eggsy’s way. The younger man watched in awe as the branches made way for him. Suddenly, a long, thin branch whipped out of nowhere, grabbing Eggsy by his torso. Eggsy yelped, moving to grab his sword. 

He stopped his movements, however, when he realized that the plant wasn’t trying to hurt him. It was merely holding him there as it moved up his chest. He tensed, not sure whether or not to trust the voice inside his head telling him that he wasn’t actually in danger. The tip of the branch sneaked its way inside Eggsy’s shirt, pulling out the golden necklace he had worn for years. It touched the yellow pendant softly, reverently almost. 

Eggsy held his breath as he watched the plant curl around the pendant. No one had ever been able to touch it before. It was one of the oddities of the metal. He could still remember the time Charlie had tried to take it from him when he had been ten. The bastard had done it out of spite, but the prank had backfired on him when he had touched the metal and the metal had burned his hand. It hadn’t been a bad burn, but it had been enough to keep Charlie away for a while. 

The metal shone softly now,under the plant’s ministrations, and the tree’s hold on Eggsy waned, letting him go. 

The younger man looked down at his pendant with an awed expression. While this wasn’t the first time the pendant shone, it was the first time it warmed his skin. Merlin had told him once - when he was still a child - that the pendant was there to protect him. No one would tell him who had made it for him, but they had told him it possessed some soft of magic - not that he had ever really believed that. 

Magic seemed like such a…silly idea. He had never witnessed it, even when he had looked for it as a child. Magic hadn’t saved his father, and magic hadn’t saved his kingdom, so really believing in it just seemed pointless. 

However, he did have to admit that the trees making a path for him wasn’t exactly natural and the glowing of his pendant was the closest thing he had ever seen to magic. And so he followed the path, mostly out of curiosity, only to end up at the far end of a long lake. 

The water was crystal clear, shining softly under the last vestiges of sunlight. Eggsy’s breath caught in his throat as he saw a large Swan descend onto the lake, landing right on the water. 

Eggsy pulled out his bow immediately as the animal arranged itself on the water, its feathers shining with a glint of gold at the edge of its feathers. Eggsy had never seen a creature so white or so delicate. The animal had some sort of red stone encrusted on its head, making its features look even more delicate and regal. The animal seemed to move with unnatural grace, not even causing the water to ripple as it moved. It was mesmerizing to watch. 

Eggsy bit his lip as he tensed his bow and took out an arrow. He aimed his arrow at the beautiful animal, but found himself unable to shoot. There was a gnawing at the back of his mind that screamed for him to stop. There was something about the animal that just made it… the animal was too beautifully pure. He couldn’t kill the innocent creature. 

Heck, the animal hadn’t even realized he was there. He couldn’t kill it in good conscience 

Eggsy remained there with his bow raised, too conflicted to actually do something. He watched the swan move to the center of the lake, still unaware of the danger it was in. The animal dipped its head into the water just as the sun went down and the lake suddenly shone brightly. 

Eggsy covered his eyes as the bright light hit him square in the face. He staggered backwards, falling onto the grass as he tripped on a small stone. He uncovered his eyes after a few moments as the light simmered into a glow. Eggsy gasped looking at the lake with wide eyes; the swan was nowhere to be seen. 

He pushed himself to a sitting position, covering his mouth as a dark haired man emerged from the water. The water rippled around the man as he walked out of the water, naked and wet. Eggsy watched mesmerized as the tall figure made his way to the side the lake. The man, probably in his late forties, was a sight to behold. His well defined muscles glistened with water droplets, and his curly, wet hair made Eggsy’s cock twitch with interest. He was very well endowed when it came to his cock - if Eggsy did say so himself. 

Not that he was looking directly at the man’s flaccid shaft. No, he was certainly not doing that because he was a fucking prince who was supposed to have a modicum of respect. But, honestly, could he be blamed for taking a peek when the sight of a gorgeously naked man was thrust upon him like that?   Life was all about enjoying those little pleasures thrown one’s way. Still, Eggsy was pretty sure the stranger would not appreciate him looking, and so he averted his gaze up to safer territory. Though he wasn’t sure how much safer the man’s chest was, given that it was still making Eggsy’s mouth water at an alarmingly fast rate. 

Oh dear god, this was a new low. Eggsy was actually thinking about how good it would feel if he were to run to the man and touch him, kiss those plump lips and fall to his knees just to get a taste of that cock, instead of thinking about the fact that a fucking Swan had just _transformed_ into a man - a fucking good looking man. 

This was exactly why Merlin always told him he needed to straighten out his priorities. 

The man on the other side stretched softly, throwing his head back to roll his neck. Eggsy’s mouth went dry at the sight of the man’s bare throat, bobbing up and down as he swallowed. Fucking hell, Eggsy was pretty sure that that image alone would replay in his head over and over every time he touched himself. 

Finally the man opened his eyes, and extended his hand, a red light emanating from his hand. Suddenly, a stag came from out of the shadows, carrying on his back the man’s garments and a towel. The man smiled sweetly at the animal, before picking up his towel to dry himself off. Once he was dry, he picked up his clothes. 

He dressed slowly, and Eggsy felt a pang of longing as the man’s beautiful frame was covered piece by piece. The man finished putting on his shirt, and picked up a large, black coat. He, however, chose that moment to look up, freezing to the spot as his eyes landed on Eggsy, who still had the bow in his hand. 

The man’s reddish-brown eyes narrowed, his mouth turning into a scowl as his hand gleamed red again. Eggsy felt his heart jump to his throat and he closed is eyes as the man suddenly blasted a red ball of energy. Eggsy brought his hand up, knowing that it would do nothing to prevent the hit, but the hit never came. 

He snapped his eyes opened again, gasping as he saw a yellow shield-like structure standing between him and the ball of energy. His eyes snapped down to his chest where the yellow stone was shining just like it had before. 

_Was that what Merlin had meant with magic?_

Oh god he was going to be sick. There were way too many weird things happening all at once. 

Harry’s lips parted as he let out a shuddering breath. He suddenly broke into a run, stepping over the water as if that was something people normally did on a daily basis. 

_Who the fuck was this man?_

He reached Eggsy’s side in no time, coming to stand right in front of the young prince. “I apologize, prince Gary, I am afraid I didn’t know that was you. I thought it was one of Valentine’s minions.” He bowed deeply, looking actually sorry. 

“I-” Eggsy swallowed hard, still half dazed both by the men’s beauty and the absurdity of it all. “Who the hell are you? How did you- You just walked on top of the water and you-” Eggsy gestured with his hands, at a loss for words. “Am I asleep? Is this a dream?” 

The man smiled at him, shaking his head softly. “No, this is real.” The man suddenly blushed. “Ah, I apologize about coming out of the lake… uh, bare. I wasn’t aware I had an audience.” 

Eggsy’s face went red at that and he averted his gaze. This was ridiculous. It wasn’t the man’s fault that Eggsy was a creeper who had decided to stay and watch the naked _stranger_ dress.“It’s not - I mean I was the one that-” He stopped himself again, wanting nothing more than to be swallowed whole. 

“Ah, yes, well,” the man said with an awkward chuckle. “Still, I apologize. I am also very sorry about the whole attack. I feel terrible about that. It won’t happen again, I assure you.” 

Eggsy remained silent, still trying to process the information. Suddenly he stood, noticing the rather prominent crown on Harry’s head. How the hell had he not noticed it earlier? 

Well he had had better things to notice…

Eggsy shook himself again, trying to get his head back in the game. Right, if the man had a crown, then he was probably someone important. “Pardon me, but who are you and how did you know who I was?” He repeated, this time much more politely. 

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but snapped it close again as he looked past Eggsy. “There’s someone coming… a woman.” 

“Oh that must be Rox,” Eggsy said immediately, turning to look only to find that it was too dark for him to see too far ahead. “How the hell did you-”

“I am going to assume she’s with you,” the man said pleasantly, slyly cutting Eggsy off. “And that you are in good hands.” 

“Yeah, she’s my best friend,” Eggsy confirmed, turning once more to face the man. 

The man nodded, the movement reminding him of the way the swan had bobbed its head when first landing. “Well then, until we meet again.” He smiled softly, taking one of Eggsy’s hands in his to kiss his knuckles. “Farewell, prince Gary.”  With that, the man took a step back and turned around, the darkness swallowing him up almost immediately, not even letting Eggsy ask for his name again. 

“Eggsy?” Roxy murmured suddenly from the nearest tree. “Are you alright?” 

Eggsy, who had been looking at the place where the man had last stood, turned back to look at his friend. “I’m… I don’t know.” 

There were still too many questions floating around his head. But one thing was sure: he needed to find that man again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THEY HAVE FINALLY MET AND THE HARTWIN BEGINS lol


	8. Get your head out of your ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “True friends will always push you towards the great possibilities of your future, false friends will always chain you to the mistakes in your past.”  
> ― Seth Brown

Harry paced around the room, his thoughts too fast to keep up with. He had never expected to meet Lee’s son, and he had certainly never expected to find the young man so deliciously attractive. Even when startled, the young manhad looked absolutely adorable, his figure fitting to that of a regal prince. And those lips… those lips of his were meant to be kissed, to be cherished. 

Harry groaned burying his head in his hands. What would Lee think if he could see Harry now, thinking such thoughts of his best friend’s _son_? He wasn’t sure if the man would be more horrified than Harry himself was. But then again, Lee had always been a bit strange.  Harry wouldn’t have been surprised if the man approved of such a union, going so far as to get Harry to court the boy. 

Harry quickly dismissed the thought. He was merely projecting his current desires on his dead friend - which was fucked up in more ways than one. It didn’t really matter what Lee would have thought, for the man was _dead_ , and Eggsy was not his to take. 

Harry suddenly chuckled sadly, shaking his head. He wasn’t quite sure why he was getting so worked up over the event of the night prior. It wasn’t like he was ever going to see the young man again. And, while he may have developed an inconvenient crush - even though he had barely spoken to the boy - it wasn’t like such a crush would ever be reciprocated. 

Suddenly, the doors to his study opened, and in walked in Percival and Merlin. Harry stifled a sigh as both men moved to sit on the couch, clearly expecting Harry to join them.  He wasn’t sure he had the energy to do this right now. 

Finally he relented and moved to sit on the seat opposite to the two men, splaying his legs open as he leaned back, looking tired. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” He asked both men, his hand twitching. 

“You know, if I wouldn’t know better, I’d say you’re not too happy to see us,” Merlin drawled out, giving Harry’s knee a sympathetic squeeze. “We won’t keep you long, Harry, I promise.” 

Harry signaled for them to continue, wanting to get this over with as soon as humanly possible. “What’s the matter now?” 

“Valentine is gathering his forces,” Percival said darkly. “And he plans to attack the forest soon.” 

“By god, that man never gives up,” Harry said exasperatedly as he rubbed his eyes. “Do we know why he has chosen this moment to do it?” 

“Chester is getting restless,” Merlin said with a click of his tongue. “Eggsy will be turning twenty five in a month’s time, and legally he will be allowed to take the throne. Chester’s claim will be null. The assassination attempts on Eggsy’s life have gone up in the last few moths, but the stone you gave him remains true, and has protected him through it all.” 

Harry put his hand underneath his chin, losing himself in his thoughts. “Do you think Valentine is trying to win the forest over so that Chester can keep the throne?” 

“Well Chester just passed a law which states that the monarch must be married in order to take over the throne, which has bought him some time as Eggsy is not married,” Merlin admitted bitterly. “His mother, however, refuses to let Chester sit on that throne a day longer, so - as Eggsy informed me last night - his mother told him he must choose a wife by the time of the ball, or he must choose a woman that day.” 

Harry’s heart sunk at Merlin’s words. So Eggsy was to be married to a faceless woman within the month. A shrill of manic laughter threatened to bubble its way out, but Harry ruthlessly pushed it down.  His friends wouldn’t understand why he was laughing. There was nothing to be happy about, which was precisely why he felt like laughing. Of course something like this would happen to him. Of course he would be the one to become attracted to the one man he would never be able to have. 

He had known for years that his fate had it in it for him. Really, this shouldn’t be as surprising - or as painful - as it was proving to be. 

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of hatred towards that faceless young thing that would be able to call Prince Gary hers. He could practically picture her, with a pretty smile and an easy life, ready to brighten the young prince’s day. 

Harry tightened his jaw, suppressing his own irrational emotions. He had no idea what was happening to him. He knew well enough that he was attracted to the boy, but such irrational anger could not be explained away to mere attraction. Not to mention, he was proving to be irrational. He had no right to feel so personally wounded, when nothing had happened, and when Eggsy had his entire life ahead of him. It was just absurd of him to expect differently. The boy was a prince, for fuck’s sake, he deserved to be with someone young, who hasn’t yet been scarred by life and by war. He didn’t need the troubles that Harry brought to the table. 

“Harry?” Merlin said, sitting up straighter and leaning forward as he gave his friend a worried look. 

“I’m fine,” Harry assured him with a pat to his knee. 

“No you’re not,” Percival said without a trace of hesitancy. 

Harry sent him a sharp glare that very clearly said _don’t you dare bring this up now_. 

“What do you mean?” Merlin said immediately, his eyes widening with worry. He turned to look at Harry, a hint of anger in the midst of the worry pouring out of his eyes. “Harry what aren’t you telling me?” 

Percival stood up, ignoring Harry’s silent warning. “Our king is dying, Merlin,” the man said harshly, turning to give Harry a challenging glare.

“Oh will you stop being so melodramatic. I’m fine,” the man said with a huff, trying to tone down the sudden tension in the room. “I won’t be dying anytime soon.” 

Merlin stood there, flabbergasted, looking at the two angry men. “You will explain what is happening to me right now, or I swear to god, Harry-”

“Tell me, Merlin, how long do Swans generally live?” Percival said, finally taking his eyes off of Harry. 

Merlin frowned. “I’m not sure.” He turned to look at Harry. “I’ve heard that they can live anywhere from twenty to thirty years, but-”

“And how long has Harry been suffering from Valentine’s curse?” Percival said cooly, a brow raised. 

Merlin felt his throat go dry as he turned to look at Harry. “Oh my god.” 

“Precisely,” Percival said with a sigh. “He has already lived longer than most swans, considering that most don’t make it past their twentieth year.” 

Merlin paled, looking lost. “But Harry is human-”

“No, he is not,” Percival sighed. “I’ve told you this before. He stopped being human the day he was cursed. Besides, even in human years, he is fifty now, which-”

“Are you calling me old, Percival?” Harry groused, trying to do anything to stir the conversation onto lighter paths. 

Percival just sent him a shrewd glare, not willing to rise to the bait. “And, while in human years he still would have a long way to go, his life span is currently being cut down severely.” He turned to look at Merlin again. “The stone is doing its best to keep Harry around longer, but even the stone has its limits. We need to break the curse.”  

Harry’s eyes narrowed as he stood up. “And how do you propose we do that?” The king finally snapped. “The chances of me finding someone to fall in love with, and them with me are virtually nonexistent.” Harry sighed, rubbing his temples.

“I beg to differ,” Percival bristled. “You were talking to that charming young human just the other night, and-”

“Oh for crying out loud, Percival,” Harry said, reddening like a tomato. “Nothing is going to happen between me and the boy. He is bound to get married soon, anyway” 

“We both know love and marriage can be two different things, Harry,” Percival said as he came to kneel in front of his king. “You liked the boy - no do not interrupt me - and he liked something in you. So I suggest you get your head out of your ass and court him.” 

Harry’s mouth went bone dry. He had no idea how Percival could know so much about everything and everyone. It was extremely unnerving. “We don’t have the time to worry about this,” he finally said, looking away. "Our priority is to kill Valentine once and for all, so that if I die, the forest will be left in peace." 

“You are letting fear control you, Harry,” Percival snapped, taking the man’s hands. “Let it go, Harry. Take what _you_ want, for once in your life.” 

“What boy?” Merlin finally asked, feeling irritated at being left out. 

Percival turned, looking surprised, as if he had forgotten Merlin was still there. “The young prince, who came into the forest the other night." 

Merlin’s eyes widened comically as he turned to face Harry. “You like Eggsy?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update, but I've been extremely busy.


	9. What's your name?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Their sudden intimacy was like the explosive combustion that engulfs and consumes a moth that has fluttered too close to a candle flame; a completely unexpected turn of events that took both of them unawares and swept them irresistibly up and out of themselves as it hurled them into each other’s arms.”  
> ― Jack Whyte, Uther

“No, no I don’t” Harry was quick to deny, walking towards the double doors. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really do have quite a few things to do before sunrise comes, and neither of you are allowing me to fulfill my duties.” 

“Oh no you old bastard, you are not leaving like that,” Merlin said running to stand in front of the door. “When the bloody hell did you meet Eggsy?” 

Harry growled at Merlin, crossing his hands in front of his chest. “Get out of my way, Merlin.” 

“No,” the man said easily, copying Harry’s stance. “Now start talking. When did you meet the prince?” 

Harry remained quiet for a few seconds, continuing to glare at Merlin, hoping to get him to relent. When the man proved to be obstinate, Harry deflated, sighing defeatedly. “I saw him yesterday night near the lake. I believe he was hunting, and he happened to stumble upon me as the sun set.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened even further as he tried to stifle a laugh. “Are you telling me he saw you naked?” 

Harry rolled his eyes. “Must we really have this conversation, Merlin?” It had been bad enough for Merlin to see him naked all those years ago, when he had come to see Harry too early. But of course the man would find some other way to tease Harry. 

“Yes, yes we must,” Merlin said in as serious a tone as he could manage. “Who would have thought you would actually-”

Harry growled, ready to hex Merlin six ways to Sunday, when the door suddenly burst open, revealing a disheveled looking James. The man smiled once he realized all three of his friends were gathered in one place, which made his job significantly easier.  

Harry cursed silently. This was just bloody fantastic. He had expected to at least get something done tonight, which was obviously not happening anymore, not if all three men were there to bother him. “What is it, James?” 

“I may have destroyed the east wing due to a… malfunction of sorts,” he said with a bashful look. 

Harry wasn’t sure what he wanted more; to brain all three men or brain himself against the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying for patience. 

Merlin suddenly burst out laughing, patting Harry in the back. “Don’t think that because you’re busy now you’re off the hook. We will finish our discussion sometime in the future.” He grabbed Harry by the chin, his eyes suddenly turning cold. “Don’t you dare hurt my boy, Harry, or I will make you regret it.” 

_Oh for crying out loud._

* * *

Harry sat quietly under the big tree near the lake, illuminated only by a small light floating above him. He held a large tome in his hands, which he was reading with great care, scribbling notes here and there. He sighed softly, rolling his neck to try to relieve some of the pressure. 

While he was doing his best to keep Percival off his scent, he couldn’t deny it any longer - at least not to himself. The spell was finally taking a toll on his body, and he was dreadfully afraid of what would happen if he didn’t manage to kill Valentine in time. He had come to love his forest and his people, and he was the only thing standing between them and death.  But what was he to do? No matter what he tried, the stone wouldn’t give him its full power. In fact, the stone seemed to be growing weaker with every passing year. 

Was it because of the curse, or was it because he wasn’t “feeding” it properly as percival liked to say? Harry wasn’t sure.  

_Love feeds your powers, Harry_ the magician had said.  _If you fall in love, then your love will nourish it back to life. It's starving, Harry. It's been starving for years._

Harry huffed, suddenly feeling annoyed both at Percival and himself. It wasn’t like he was purposefully keeping himself away from the world. Heck, did the man really think he enjoyed becoming a bloody animal every morning?  Harry suddenly stood up, feeling restless. There had to be something he could do, something to revive the stone and break the curse. It was ridiculous to wait around for love. 

_Master… the lake…._

Harry’s head snapped up as the wind whispered in his ear, alerting him of the presence of an intruder near the lake. He closed the book, his eyes turning bright red. He ran towards his beloved lake, a growl building in his chest, only to stop short at the sight of the young prince walking near the edge of the lake. 

“Prince Gary?” Harry blurted out, stepping out of the shadows. 

Eggsy whirled around, his eyes widening before he smiled. “There you are,” he breathed out, his eyes shining with barely concealed excitement. 

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked intrigued, taking another step closer. 

“I… I just…” Eggsy opened and closed his mouth, blushing. “You never told me your name.” 

oh dear god, could someone be that utterly adorable? Harry suppressed the urge to kiss the younger man’s plump lips, which were parted slightly as he awaited for Harry to say something. 

Harry knew he needed to send Eggsy away, needed to return him to the castle, keep him safe, but instead of saying “you shouldn’t be here” he heard himself say “Harry. My name is Harry Hart.” 

The younger man smiled at that, making Harry’s heart flutter softly. That smile was more than enough to squash any remorse threatening to make itself known to Harry. 

“Are you a king, Harry?” Eggsy asked bluntly, taking an unconscious step closer. The man looked even more beautiful than the other night, with those gleaming, reddish eyes of his. He was wearing dark robes today, and his chest was partially uncovered, making Eggsy's mouth water. 

“i suppose you could say that,” Harry said with a hint of reluctance. “I am the… protector of this forest.” 

Eggsy gaped at the man. “This forest has its own king?” 

Harry gave a tight nod, feeling very exposed. “I’m sure you’ve realized this by now, but this is not a… normal forest. It has a life of its own.” 

“Are you a wizard or something?” Eggsy asked, taking yet another step closer. 

“Yes, I - yes.” Harry’s eyes narrowed as he took in Eggsy’s proximity. He was close enough that Harry could just lean in and kiss the boy. 

“But then why is it so dangerous?” Eggsy murmured with a frown. “Why are people so afraid of the forest?” 

Harry’s face suddenly darkened. “Because there are other very powerful creatures and magicians who want to control the forest, and so fights erupt, and humans can be caught in the crossfire.” Harry bit his lip, trying his best to muffle the whirlwind of emotions rolling inside of him. 

He locked eyes with Eggsy, who seemed to be a bit flushed, and suddenly something inside Harry - probably his self preservation - snapped. “Come with me.” 

“Where are we going?” Eggsy said as he rushed to follow Harry, not willing to let the man get away so easily after he had just found him again. 

“It won’t do for you to believe that there is nothing good in this forest of mine,” Harry said easily, looking back at Eggsy with a glint of mischief in his eyes. 

Eggsy suddenly yelped as the soil gave way and he lost his footing. He closed his eyes, resigning himself to fall face first onto the ground, feeling embarrassed. The fall never came, however, as he suddenly found himself in Harry’s embrace, a hand on his wrist and the other in the small of his back. Both men froze, letting their breaths mingle as they stared at each other’s faces. Harry swallowed hard, resisting the urge to bite Eggsy’s lower lip. He looked ridiculously appealing this close. Eggsy let out a shuddering breath, shivering slightly under Harry’s hold. 

The man’s big hands were warm and firm against his body, and his legs, which where brushing Eggsy’s inner thigh, were like burning fire against Eggsy’s sensitive skin, making him feel hyper aware of himself. He swallowed hard as he tried to calm down his erratic heart, hoping that Harry couldn’t see his now half hard shaft. 

He had no idea what was it about this man, but he was able to break down every fail safe Eggsy had ever built around himself. He needed only to say the words and Eggsy would gladly fall to his knees and beg to be allowed to suck the man off. 

It was intoxicating, being this near to the man. 

“Uh, right,” Harry said, his voice rougher than before. He released Eggsy slowly, almost reluctantly, before straightening himself out. He placed his hand underneath Eggsy’s elbow, telling himself that he was only doing it to keep the younger man from falling again, and not because he so desperately wanted to have some form of contact with him. 

Harry created a ball of light and released it into the night sky, allowing it to float near them. It remained near Eggsy as if studying the young prince. They walked in silence, the only noise coming from the floating light. Eggsy looked all around, trying his best not to gape as strange yet beautiful creatures peaked their heads out, near the trees. 

The all looked at him with curiosity, bowing to Harry as he passed. Suddenly, a winged, red haired woman - or what looked like a mix between a woman and a tiger - landed in front of Harry, her fangs long and sharp. She bowed deeply, placing one bony hand on her chest as she awaited for Harry to acknowledge her. 

“At ease” Harry said softly, taking a step closer to the creature, his eyes warm yet full of power.

“The scouting party found nothing, my lord,” she said, her voice low and rough, sounding almost like a growl. 

Harry nodded, giving her a polite smile. “Thank you, Lilith.” 

“Would you still like me to double the guard around the borders?” She asked, looking at Harry straight in the eye. 

“Yes,” Harry said immediately. “I’d rather be sure that our borders are safe, especially since we have a visitor,” Harry said as he suddenly pulled Eggsy closer. “Prince Gary, this is Lilith, the captain of my… of the guard,” he said, ignoring the sharp glance the woman sent him. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Eggsy said with a small bow. 

“The pleasure is all mine,” the creature murmured, this time softer, her eyes still locked with Harry’s. “I apologize for intruding, _master_. I shall report later.” 

Harry winced as Lilith took off, wanting to stop her if only to get her to take the title back. She knew well enough that he hated being called master, but then again, he had deserved the jab bydownplaying her role. She was his most trusted general, after all. But surely she understood it had nothing to do with her, and everything to do with the fact that Harry did not want Eggsy to wonder why he needed a general meant specifically for war in the first place. The less he knew, the safer he would be. 

“Come on,” Harry said with a smile, pulling Eggsy by his elbow. 

The young man went willingly, a million questions whirlwind in his head. Where there other creatures like that woman? Was the forest filled with… magical creatures? Was everything in the forest magical? Why did Harry look so normal, when compared to the rest of them? 

Suddenly, they reached a smaller lake, which was cut off by a large cave that opened at the mouth of the lake. Harry walked into the cave, grabbing Eggsy by the hand in fear the younger man would fall into the water. 

“ _luminum_ ,” Harry whispered, the air suddenly thinning. 

The water shone bright blue, before a myriad of small lights erupted from the water, filling the cave. A few colorful fishes suddenly came into view, all swimming peacefully, seemingly unaware of the two men standing close together. Eggsy gasped softly, letting the beauty of the lights engulf him. 

The lights seemed to dance around one another, moving as if they had a conscience of their own. Eggsy suddenly frowned, taking a closer look at one of the lights, only to jump backwards.  Those were not lights. Those were tiny little fairy like creatures that _shone._

Harry chuckled next to him, running his hand up and down Eggsy’s back unconsciously. “Don’tworry, they won’t harm you. They’re young fairies. They have never seen a human before, so they might be a little curious.” 

One of the lights suddenly landed on Harry’s shoulder and she pointed towards Eggsy as she emanated a small twinkling sound with her wings, as if to prove the man’s point. “They are rather playful though,” he said warmly, patting the little creature’s head. 

Eggsy swallowed back a strangled sound as Harry continued to run his hand up and down Eggsy’s back, seemingly unaware of his actions as he played with the little fairies. A few landed on Eggsy's shoulders and began walking up and down his arms, looking curiously at him.  

Eggsy stepped minutely closer, feeling something needy inside him pull him closer to the man next to him. Eggsy stared as Harry’s factions softened, and his lips twitched with the hint of a smile.  Eggsy found himself smiling, feeling slightly breathless as Harry turned to face him. Reddish brown eyes bore into blue, both becoming unaware of everything around them. Harry suddenly leaned closer, cutting the distance between their lips to a mere few inches. 

Harry drank in the sight of the enticing young man, feeling raw desire pool low in his groin. He reached forward, half wondering what it would feel like to touch Eggsy's lips. 

_By god, what the hell was he doing?_

Harry suddenly pulled back, pretending to fix his overcoat to not look at Eggsy. 

That had been a close call. 

He scolded himself for his own idiocy. Eggsy was the bloody crown prince, for crying out loud. He was here merely because of the mystery, the strangeness of the forest and its charms. He was allured by Harry’s mystique, nothing more. 

Not to mention, the boy was to get married in a month. 

“I'm afraid duty calls, Prince Gary. I can't keep you here any longer today,” Harry said, making sure to keep a polite distance, not noticing Eggsy’s crestfallen face. 

“Eggsy,” the young man suddenly said. “Call me Eggsy please, I don’t like Gary.”

Harry, surprised by the sudden request, only nodded, turning once again to lead Eggsy out of the cave after saying their goodbyes to the disappointed fairies. 

“Harry, wait,” Eggsy said, feeling a surge of bravado - or desperation, he wasn’t sure which - ran through him. 

Harry turned to face him again, the strong need to kiss him making itself known again. “Yes, Eggsy?” 

“Can I come by again?” The young man whispered, sweet desperation in his voice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rather enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you liked it!


	10. It's just dinner... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends."  
> \- Joan Didion

Harry fixed the collar of his shirt for the umpteenth time, his fingers twitching due to his nervousness. He froze, forcing his fingers to still. Honestly, he was being ridiculous. It was only dinner, for crying out loud, and it did not mean anything. 

The younger man had clearly been curious about the forest, and Harry was just indulging him. That was it, that was all there was to it. 

But was that really it? Harry was reticent to believe it had only been him who had felt that intoxicating energy, that need to touch, to explore deeper. 

Well, that did not matter anyway, because even if Eggsy was interested, it was simply impossible. The man would have to marry, whether he wanted to or not. 

Harry sighed, his hands dropping to his sides defeatedly. Well, at least he would get to enjoy the younger man’s presence for the night, and if he was extremely lucky then perhaps they’d go uninterrupted for the entirety of the night. 

“My lord, the young prince is here,” Elias murmured as he entered Harry’s private quarters, keeping his hands behind his back. 

Harry smiled at the centaur, giving him a small nod. “I’ll be there in a moment. Would you please see that he finds his way to the dining room?” 

The centaur gave him a short nod, quickly turning to trot outside. Harry once again turned to look at himself in the mirror, before picking up a white flower from the table to his side. He brought the delicate flower closer to his face, enjoying the scent for a few seconds, before finally turning to leave. 

He walked to the dining room he had ordered to be set up for Eggsy and himself, finding himself short of breath as soon as he walked in. 

Oh god, this had been a bad idea. 

Eggsy stood to the side, looking at one of the paintings, his beautiful blue-green eyes wide with excitement. The young man was wearing a tightly fit jacket, which did little to hide his impressive figure. 

Harry felt an urge to simply walk up to him and rip away the offending garments, if only to touch the warm, smooth skin for a moment. Finally he cleared his throat, shaking his head at his own daring thoughts. 

“Good evening, Eggsy,” he murmured softly, feeling a sudden burst of warmth at the thought that he got to call the young man by a pet name. 

Eggsy’s face immediately lit up at Harry’s voice. He grinned at the man, tilting his head to the side. “Looking good, Harry,” he said with a wink. 

Harry swallowed hard, his heart stuttering to a halt. He gave him a small smile and a nod in acknowledgment, trying his hardest to keep the blood from rushing to his cheeks. For heaven’s sake, he wasn’t going to survive the night if the younger man continued on like that. 

Harry walked closer, offering Eggsy a seat before sitting himself. He carefully unfolded his napkin, placing it on his lap. “I do hope you like pasta,” the man said as he waived his hand. 

A young woman, dressed in a green slightly darker than her own skin, walked in, bringing with her a tray. She stopped right next to Harry, winking at the man as she left the plates on the table. 

She chuckled softly, her laughter sounding like liquid water, as she turned to look at the glaring young man. She moved closer to Harry, as if to prove a point, and kissed his cheek before running out of the room. 

Harry froze, blushing softly. He had no idea what had gotten into the nymph. She was usually playful and willing to tease anyone that crossed her path, Merlin being one of her favorites as he always spluttered around, but never had she been so touchy, at least not when others were around. 

Eggsy cleared his throat, his throat burning with jealousy. He should have known Harry had women throwing themselves at him, and - to top it all off - it was an inhumanly pretty girl at that. Why had he thought coming here would be a good idea? He didn’t even know if Harry was into blokes. 

“I apologize about that,” Harry said, noticing Eggsy’s tense shoulders. “Amora is generally better behaved.”

“It’s fine,” the prince said tightly. “I understand if your… you know,” he said, not even sure what point he had been trying to make in the first place. 

Harry frowned, looking baffled. “I’m afraid I don’t know. My what?” 

“Your wife or-” the younger man said blushing scarlet.

Harry suddenly chuckled, shaking his head. “Amora is not my wife, Eggsy. I’m afraid I’d be a rather disappointing husband, considering I not attracted to the fairer sex.” 

Harry held his breath for a second, not sure why he had revealed that to Eggsy. It wasn’t something he admitted easily, especially not to knew people. He never knew how people were going to take it. Perhaps it had been his unconscious, pushing him to find out whether or not he could allow himself to hope for something. 

Something which he would rather not name. 

Eggsy’s shoulders relaxed once more, his eyes lighting up with something Harry couldn’t quite name. “Oh.”

Harry hummed, stifling a laugh at Eggsy’s reaction. “So, my dear prince, I heard you won a duel today.” 

Eggsy’s brows shot up. “How do you know that?” 

Harry gave him a mysterious smile. “Did you?”

The younger man nodded, leaning back softly. “Charlie  - Chester’s son- pissed me off today,” he admitted. “So I challenged him to a duel.” 

“You know, it is not gentlemanly to pick up fights,” Harry said in a teasing tone. “That is of course if your opponent isn’t a snob of the highest degree, which - considering who Charlie’s father is - we know he is.” 

“Wait, you know Chester?” Eggsy said, more and more surprised by the minute. 

Harry’s face darkened at that. “Sadly, yes. I knew him many years ago, before he assumed power.” 

“How did you meet him?” Eggsy asked, leaning forward. 

Harry squirmed, berating himself. He had already said too much. He couldn’t involve Eggsy in the mess Valentine had created. “I used to live in the palace,” Harry admitted reluctantly. “Many, many years ago.” 

Eggsy’s eyes widened, leaning so far forward Harry feared he was going to fall off his seat. “Did you… Did you know my father?” 

Harry smiled sadly, before nodding. “He was a dear friend,” he said, his eyes becoming glassy. While he didn’t particularly want to delve into his past, it was imperative for EGgsy to know how wonderful his father had been. “And he was a wonderful king.” 

Eggsy licked his lips, not sure what to do with the new information being thrown at him. “Why did you end up in the forest?” 

“I’m afraid that’s a story for another time,” Harry said quickly, reaching out to squeeze Eggsy’s hand as the young man pouted. “I promise you, that story is rather boring.” 

Eggsy gave him a dubious look before suddenly blurting out “Do you know Merlin?”

“I do,” Harry said with a small smile. “He’s a dear friend of mine. He helped me get to you the amulet that you’re wearing around your neck right now,” Harry said as an afterthought as he interlaced his fingers. 

Eggsy suddenly looked down, taking out the yellow pendant which was currently glowing faintly, much like Harry’s crown. “It was you?” 

Harry nodded. “A gift in Lee’s memory,” he said after a pause. 

Eggsy took it off, offering it to Harry. “This isn’t mine to keep.” 

“Nonsense,” Harry bristled, pushing Eggsy’s hand away. “It was a gift, and it has served its purpose well. It is yours to keep.” 

Eggsy swallowed hard but nodded, feeling something warm and strange unfurl deep inside his stomach. He stifled the urge to stand up and kiss the man who was currently looking at him with an indulgent smile. 

He looked away, clearing his throat loudly. “Thank you, Harry.” 

The man nodded, picking up his fork. “Come now, we should eat before the food gets cold.” 

Eggsy finally looked back, his heart throbbing in his chest as the image of Harry closing his lips around the fork. Fuck, he was gone stupid on this man, and he wasn’t even sure how that had happened. It wasn’t like he knew Harry. 

And yet he felt like he had known him all his life. 

Suddenly the door hurts open to reveal an angry looking Lilith. “My lord, Valentine has attacked.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, the story is picking up speed and from here until the end there are no restive moments. We are on a climb to the climax now. 
> 
> I hope you're enjoying it!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always very much appreciated xx


	11. The pleasure of your touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “We are not people who touch each other carelessly; every point of contact between us feels important, a rush of energy and relief.”  
> ― Veronica Roth

Harry all but flew through the forest, looking ahead with a fire in his eyes that was seldom there anymore. He wasn’t sure what made him more angry, the fact that Valentine had attacked his forest yet again or the fact that the man had done it when he had been talking to Eggsy. 

Harry reached the edge of the forest soon enough, turning to look to the side as Lilith landed near him with Eggsy nestled in her arms, bridal style. She put the blushing young man down, not wanting to embarrass him any further. The only reason he had agreed to her carrying him that way was because they had been pressed for time. 

It wasn’t that he felt embarrassed by Lilith being so much more capable than him. Hell, Roxy had taught him not to care about shit like that years ago. What embarrassed him was that Harry had been there to watch it. He had been trying to impress the man in some way for a while now, and fuck if Lilith carrying him wasn’t a blow to his Harry-based Ego. 

He knew he was being ridiculous. The man had shown nothing but polite interest in him - well, no it was more than just politeness. The man was showing friendly interest. 

Eggsy watched Harry pull out a sword, his eyes narrowed with fury. He dropped his sword, however, when he found what looked to be a pegasus - or at least that’s what Eggsy thought they were called, if his lessons had served of anything - laying on the ground. 

“Oh, no,” Harry said brokenly, kneeling next to the shining horse. The animal huffed as Harry placed his hand on the animal’s neck, trying to calm it down. “It’s alright Patty, it’s alright.” 

Eggsy stifled a laugh at the name, knowing Harry wouldn’t take it kindly if he laughed at what Eggsy assumed was the pegasus’s name. “What happened?” 

“Patty has been poisoned,” Harry said bitterly, running his hands down the large slash on the animal’s side. “Lilith, send more guards out,” Harry barked out. “I will take care of Patty.” 

“My lord you can’t,” the woman said in alarm, her hawk-like eyes narrowing. “You don’t have enough energy to-” 

“If Patty dies, Lilith,the vitality of the east wing of the forest will die with her,” Harry said through clenched teeth, his gaze turning almost imploring. “It is my job to keep her safe.” 

Lilith opened and closed her mouth several times, clearly at a loss for words. Eggsy looked between the two, trying to figure out what the hell they were on about. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good. 

“Harry what-” Before Eggsy could finish his sentence, the man turned away again, pressing his hand against the wound, making the pegasus whine in pain. 

He began whispering something, the energy around him crackling. Eggsy took a step forward, feeling an urge to stop the man, but he was stopped by a strong hand holding him by the elbow. 

“Don’t go near him,” Lilith said warningly, her eyes glued to Harry’s back. 

Eggsy didn’t get the chance to protest as a ball of white light suddenly came to encircle both Harry and the pegasus. Eggsy closed his eyes and covered his ears as a ringing, torturous sound erupted from the air. 

Eggsy had no idea how long the sound went on, hammering his ears incessantly, nor had he any idea where Lilith’s hand had gone. Suddenly, the sound stopped, and he opened his eyes, finding Lilith next to him, looking pale and sweaty. 

Eggsy took a step closer to her, horrified. What the hell had happened to her. Before he could reach her, however, she ran past him as she screamed “Master!” 

Eggsy whirled around to find Harry falling backwards, looking as pale as a sheet. Lilith caught the man before he could hit his head, and she cradled him closer with extreme care. 

The pegasus stood with difficulty, still looking tired, but decidedly more alive. She looked as distressed as Lilith. The animal moved closer, touching Harry’s face with her muzzle, moving his face gently to the side. That seemed to do the trick as he suddenly opened his bleary eyes again, looking more worn than ever before. 

He tiredly brought a hand up to pat the animal, obviously fighting his hardest to keep his eyes open. “Go rest,” he coughed out, clearly expecting the animal to obey. 

“Harry?” Eggsy whispered, coming closer, scared to know what was happening. “What… are you alright?” 

Harry nodded, smiling at him. “There’s no need to worry, Eggsy. I’ll be fine. I just used a bit too much energy too fast,” the man said. 

Eggsy swallowed hard, before coming to kneel next to the man. He took the man’s hand, hoping to get some sort of explanation, but his words were cut off by a flash of light coming from his own pendant. He looked down at it with no small amount of surprise as Harry gasped loudly as he closed his eyes, his back arching. 

“Harry?!” Eggsy all but screamed holding the man’s hand tighter.

Lilith stared at Eggsy’s pendant with inhumanly wide eyes, her breath stuttering. “Impossible.” 

“What’s the matter?” Eggsy snapped. “Will someone explain to me what’s happening?” 

“Your pendant,” the woman said. “It’s-“

“Lilith,” Harry warned, though his words sounded choked. He was avoiding Eggsy's gaze, even if he was still holding his hand. 

She turned to look back at Harry but continued. “My master transferred some of his life force to Patty. Your pendant is… restoring his life force by replenishing the powers of the ruby.” 

“It can do that?” Eggsy said touching his pendant with awe. “Wait how is doing - ah!” Eggsy suddenly shuddered, feeling a zing of pleasure coursing through his body. 

His eyes snapped up to meet Harry’s, feeling the man’s hand getting warmer and warmer in his hand. “What’s happening?” 

“The two stones are connected, Prince Gary,” Lilith said as Harry didn’t seem to trust his own voice. “Your pendant is reacting accordingly” 

“How are they connected?” Eggsy breathed out as another wave of pleasure ran through his increasingly aroused body. 

“That is a long story, I’m afraid,” She said, knowing that her master would probably not want the boy knowing that the stone was meant to be worn by the forest’s queen. “However, I am going to have to ask you to keep using it at east for a little longer. It will greatly help my master.” 

“No... no more, I’m fine,” Harry said, his voice sounding much raspier than before. He suddenly let go of Eggsy’s hand, but Lilith’s arms held him there. 

“”How do I use it?” Eggsy said, ignoring Harry. If he could help the man, then he was going to do it. 

“Physical contact,” Lilith said as a matter of fact, knowing she couldn’t exactly ask the young prince for anything more. 

While both she and Harry knew that the stone would work at its best if they were to consummate their relationship, she knew the man would be unwilling to ask that of the younger man. She knew her master was in love with the prince - the stones wouldn’t have chosen to mingle otherwise - but she was still unsure as to what the younger man felt. She didn’t know him enough to get a good read. 

She threw her head back as she whistled loudly, looking back at Eggsy with expectant eyes. “We should take master back to the castle. I am going to ask you to stay with him for a bit longer, just so that the stone can help him heal faster.” 

Eggsy nodded, standing up. He looked up as the sudden flap of wings above him startled him. He jumped out of the way as a man who looked much like Lilith landed next to him. 

The creature looked at Lilith, clearly awaiting her instructions. 

“Take the human prince,” she commanded, as she helped Harry up. “We will meet you back at the castle.” 

The man nodded, suddenly pulling Eggsy closer as he took off. Eggsy yelped, jolted out of his thoughts by the sudden and brusque movements. He looked at his winged companion with angry eyes, clearly not happy by the man’s rough treatment. 

“Lilith,” Harry sneered, turning to look at his companion. “What the bloody hell are you doing? Eggsy cannot know that-”

“You love him,” She said without missing a beat. “And the stone is responding to that. I am merely trying to keep you alive.” 

Harry looked away, looking frustrated. “He doesn’t feel like I do, Lilith. The less we allow the stones to connect, the better. I don’t need the ruby to recognize him as my-” Harry’s mouth snapped close, shrinking away from the words. 

“I am afraid it may have already recognized him, master,” she whispered, looking down. “But is it really a bad thing?” 

“He is to marry in a month’s time,” Harry said defeatedly. “He won’t be declaring his love fore me, but for someone else, Lilith. If the stone recognizes him, then we are all doomed.” 

She bit her lip, a sense of dread filling her. “You need the energy, sir. You won’t be able to defeat Valentine.” 

“I need more energy than what a half formed connection can offer me,” he huffed out, shaking his head. “No, it’s best if-”

“Harry you just gave a substantial amount of energy to Patty,” Percival said, appearing out of thin air. “You need that energy.” 

Harry jumped back, his eyes widening in surprise. “Bloody hell, Percival, you need to stop doing that. How long have you been watching?” 

“Long enough,” he grunted, still glaring at the man. “So long as you don’t sleep with him, the connection won’t fully establish itself. Now go,” the man said impatiently. 

“And what about… the side effect?” The man said, blushing softly. 

Percival rolled his eyes. “i am sure you can withstand a bit of magically enduced pleasure, Harry. You _need_ that energy.” 

_But what if he couldn’t? What if he gave in?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL I HOPE YOU LIKED IT AND ARE KINDA EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER lol


	12. don’t let go and kiss me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping... waiting... and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir... open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... guides us. Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we'd be truly dead.”  
> ― Joss Whedon

Lilith landed on the open garden, putting Harry back on his feet. “The prince awaits you.” 

Harry bit his lip, half considering whether or not he had enough energy to just run away. Lilith seemed to notice his hesitance for she growled softly - the way only she dared - and opened her wings. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned, crossing her arms in front of her. “He’s in the throne room.” 

Harry finally nodded, sighing softly as he made his way into the castle, knowing it would be futile to argue with his general. Still, what if it proved to be too much? What if he got hard and Eggsy noticed? Worse still, what if his control snapped and he pinned Eggsy to his throne, kissed him, fucked into him slowly, making the younger man beg to come. 

Harry froze just as he reached the throne room, flinching away at his thoughts. What would Eggsy say if he could see what he wanted? Surely he would be appalled. Harry clamped down on both his desire and his guilt. It was useless to concentrate on that now. 

“Harry?” Eggsy murmured as he turned to face the man, his cheeks still slightly flushed. “What took you so long?” 

“Lilith and I needed to discuss a few matters,” Harry said with a tense smile as he came closer to Eggsy. 

The younger man swallowed hard, surprised to see Harry’s usually reddish brown eyes looking more brown than red. “So how do we do this?” 

_Oh this was going to be dreadfully awkward. Splendid._

Harry guided Eggsy to his private garden, which conveniently led to his room, in case he needed to make a quick escape if things got too heated for Harry. The man sat down on a bench next to Eggsy. The young man followed his queue and sat next to Harry, fidgeting slightly at the awkwardness of the situation. 

Harry took a deep breath before opening his palm, placing it on his knee to let Eggsy decide whether he wanted to take it or not. The younger man stared at the hand, his body tingling as he remembered how good it had felt last time, and he blushed. 

He had never experienced anything like this, not even when touching himself, and, frankly, it scared him. 

With a choked breath he clasped Harry’s hand, intertwining his fingers with Harry’s much longer ones. He didn’t look at the man as the first wave of pleasure hit him. He didn’t look when his body came alive like it never had before. Harry said nothing, too lost in his own mind. He tried to control his own reaction, clamping down on a moan that threatened to escape his lips. 

Eggsy let out a ragged breath, whispering “Is it helping?” 

Harry, dimly aware that he had closed his eyes, nodded softly, clenching his jaw as he opened his eyes to look at Eggsy. The younger man, however, did not want Harry to see him like this, worried about what the man might think of him if he did, didn’t want Harry to be uncomfortable, and so he shuffled closer - forgetting that touching more of Harry would only make it worse - to hide his face on the crook of Harry’s neck. 

Harry was unable to hold back a ragged moan as Eggsy’s burning hot skin made contact with his own, his blood rushing south rather quickly. He tried to breathe, but the air around him seemed to be condensing, leaving him breathless and desperate and dizzy. He looked away, letting go of Eggsy’s hand to try to clear his mind, to clear both of their minds. 

Eggsy must have felt that burning, unwavering sensation too, that pleasure coiling deep within him, for he tensed, scrambling for purchase. He grabbed on to the collar of Harry’s shirt with his now free hand, suddenly coming to sit on the man’s lap as he shivered. Harry pressed his back against the stone wall, his hands unconsciously traveling to Eggsy’s waist. His cock throbbed in its confines as the sight of Eggsy maddened Harry.  

Fucking hell, Eggsy felt so good, splayed open like that, and his face - flushed and wanton - made Harry shiver with desire. 

The younger man once again hid his face on the crook of Harry’s neck, trembling on top of the man. Harry tried soothing him by running his hands up and down Eggsy’s back, but that seemed to make things worse as Eggsy bucked his hips desperately, groaning deeply when he felt Harry’s answering need brush against his own. 

It was rather… strange to feel another man’s clothed cock brush against his own. Good strange, but strange nonetheless. 

Harry cursed silently, gripping Eggsy’s waist hard enough to hurt. The younger man whined before pulling away enough to crash his lips against Harry’s, not knowing what the hell he was doing, but knowing he needed more of Harry and he needed it now. Harry gasped in surprise, giving Eggsy enough of an opening to slip his tongue into Harry’s mouth. Harry growled low in his throat, licking deeper as he brought a hand to Eggsy’s neck. 

He pulled the younger man infinitely closer, the kiss turning messy and wet, yet that only seemed to spur both men on as Eggsy began humping brainlessly against Harry’s leg, too turned on to care about anything but the feeling of Harry kissing him like he needed him as much as he needed air to breathe. Harry quickly took control of the kiss, Eggsy being only to happy to learn from the clearly more experienced man.

Harry let his hands roam lower, squeezing Eggsy’s buttocks, which seemed to snap some sense into both men, as Eggsy suddenly jolted away, his cheeks flushed and his eyes looking glassed. 

They both stared at each other, whatever desire that had been coursing through their body dissolving into fear. Harry, with no small amount of effort, dropped his hands to his sides, waiting to see what Eggsy would do, his heart in his mouth. 

Eggsy suddenly jumped away, stammering an apology before running out of the garden. He did not look back as he made his way out of the castle, knowing deep within that Harry would not stop him if he wanted to leave. He didn’t stop until he saw his horse, tied to the metal fence that stood between Harry’s castle and the rest of the forest. 

Eggsy panted, feeling bile rise to his throat. How could he have done that to Harry? He had thrown himself on the man’s lap, not even waiting to see if his advances were welcomed. Hell, he had kissed Harry, knowing that the stone was affecting both of them, knowing that the man probably would have pushed him away had he not been under the stone’s influence. 

He shivered, half tempted to throw away the pendant, angry at it for making him lose control, for making him uninhibited, for making him reveal his true desires. He looked back at the castle, knowing that he needed to apologize, but finding that he couldn’t bring himself to walk back in there. 

He just hoped Harry wouldn’t be too angry at him. He was sure the man would understand. Eggsy turned to face his horse and he mounted the animal, wincing as he was still half hard. He didn’t notice the winged figure flying high above the sky, watching his every move, watching him leave. 

He didn’t notice the fire in her eyes, the hopeful fondest turned into hatred as she swooped down, quickly directing herself into the throne room. 

Harry didn’t notice her either, too lost in his guilt. 

How could he have allowed himself to lose himself so completely? Eggsy had helped him out of the goodness of his heart. The young man hadn’t asked for this. He deserved to be treated better. He deserved to be respected. He deserved to spend the night with someone he loved. 

And yet Harry had almost taken that away from him irrevocably. 

Harry covered his mouth, feeling sick to his stomach. He stood up with difficulty, leaning against the wall as a pair of tears fell down his cheeks. 

He needed to apologize. He needed to make sure Eggsy knew Harry would never do such a thing again. Suddenly the man froze as a horrid thought hit him; What if Eggsy didn’t come back? 

Well, he couldn't blame him if he didn’t. In fact, it would probably be better if he didn't. He would be safe from the problems plaguing the forest and he would be able to concentrate on fining a... suitable partner.

Harry sighed heavily, resigning himself to a night of little to no sleep as he quietly made his way back to his room.He closed the door behind him softly, letting the darkness engulf him. His crowned glowed softly, providing just enough light so that he could walk to his bed without falling. He took off his long coat and his jacket as well as his shoes, not bothering to fully change clothes. 

He laid down, and closed his eyes, cursing himself yet again. Perhaps it was because he was so distracted, or perhaps it was because he had his eyes so tightly closed, but the man didn’t notice when the glowing red light emanating from his crown flickered and dimmed, as if losing strength. He didn't notice, nor did he hear when one of the edges of the crystal cracked and turned black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait loves. But I'll try to update next chapter by next week Wednesday to make up for this last wait period ;)


	13. Is this an apology or a goodbye?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Proper apologies have three parts:
> 
> 1) What I did was wrong.  
> 2) I feel badly that I hurt you.  
> 3) How do I make this better?”  
> ― Randy Pausch

Percival paced from one side of the room to the other, trying his best to control his rising temper.“Harry we can’t attack now-”

“There are no other options, Percival,” Harry said tiredly, following Percival’s restless movements with his eyes. “We need to get rid of Valentine _now_.” 

Percival turned to face Harry, his eyes thunderous. “Harry you are not strong enough right now. You’ll only-”

“I am not going to get any stronger, Percival!” Harry snapped, finally standing up. “We should have fought him a long time ago.” 

Percival rushed to the man’s side, kneeling next to Harry’s bed. “Harry, I implore you to see reason.” 

Harry leaned down to hold Percival’s cheeks in his hands. “I _am_ using reason, my friend. Don’t you see? The stone has already chosen Eggsy, and there is _nothing_ I can do about that.” 

Percival bit his lip. “We can’t be sure of that, Harry.” 

Harry rolled his eyes. “The stone cracked, Percival, what more evidence do you need? The stone has chosen him, and, last I checked, he is to be married in less than a week. The stone will lose its power, Percival, and I won’t be able to do anything to stop Valentine,” He said, his voice cracking with desperation. “It is my duty to destroy Valentine, and I will see to it to the end.” 

Percival groaned in frustration, practically baring his teeth as the doors to Harry’s private quarters were pushed open. “What the bloody hell are you doing here?” He snapped. While he esteemed Merlin greatly, the last thing he needed was a human to interrupt them right now. 

Merlin’s brows shot up at the man’s hostility, looking between him and Harry, who was lying in bed. “Why are you in bed?” He immediately asked, his heart sinking as he took in Harry’s weak appearance. 

Harry shrugged, smiling at the man. “I’m glad you’re finally here, my friend. I actually have a letter I need you to deliver for me, if you wouldn’t mind.” The man reached over to his nightstand, picking up a sealed letter. He offered it to Merlin, his smile dropping slightly as the man made no attempt to take it. 

Merlin approached the man, feeling more and more concerned by the second. “Harry why the fuck are you in bed?” 

“Merlin, please, not now,” Harry said softly, looking away when the man came to sit next to him on the bed. “I am just tired is all.” 

“Harry, I want the truth, please,” Merlin said in a steely voice, taking the letter from the insistent king. “Why are you in bed.” 

“My health is simply not what it used to be, but I’ll be fine,” Harry said tentatively, patting Merlin’s hand. “Now, I need you both to leave as I need to meet with Lilith.” 

“Did Valentine attack again?” The man immediately asked, turning to look at Percival. The only times Harry was this urgent to meet with his second in command was when something had gone very wrong. 

“He mortally wounded Patty,” Harry said, his blood boiling at the mere thought. He had been with that Pegasus from the beginning. 

Merlin paled at the news, his eyes snapping back to Harry. “How are you going to protect the east side of the forest?” 

“I gave her part of my life force,” Harry admitted reticently, already picturing the scolding he was about to get. 

“You _what_?!” Merlin growled, getting up in a fury. “Harry what the fuck is the matter with you, do you even-” Merlin huffed out in frustration, running his hands over his head like he used to do when he still had hair. “Is that why you’re in bed?”

“He’s in bed because the stone cracked,” Percival informed the man, standing up to glare at Harry. Well, at least he had Merlin on his side. Perhaps he’d be able to make him see reason. 

“Oh my god,” Merlin whispered, his voice cracking. “How could that happen? The stone is not supposed to be dependent on his life force!” 

“The stone has chosen, Merlin,” Percival said sternly, as if that explained everything.

_Oh god._  

Merlin swallowed hard, not sure what to say. “You mean the person didn’t-“

“It’s Eggsy, Merlin,” Harry finally murmured, his eyes firmly closed. While he didn’t particularly feel like telling any of this to anyone, he was going to need Merlin’s help if he hoped to defeat Valentine within the next three days. “The stone chose Eggsy, and he made it clear last night that my… the feelings that have been so far expressed are not to his liking.” 

Merlin felt his mouth go dry, and his knees weaken. His own protege… his son, for all intents and purposes, was going to be his best friend’s doom. 

_Where had everything gone so fucking wrong?_

“Who is this letter for, Harry?” Merlin murmured bitterly, pretty sure he already knew the answer. 

“It’s for Eggsy,” Harry said after a second. “An apology, of sorts,” he said, more to himself than to anyone else. “But that’s beside the point. The real reason I called you is because I need your help.” 

Merlin frowned, but sat back down. “Help you with what?” 

Harry took a deep breath, locking any and all emotions into a small corner of his heart where they couldn’t reach him, where he could keep them out of control. “Eggsy is to choose a spouse in four days time, Merlin. The stone’s powers will be completely destroyed,” Harry said dispassionately, trying his hardest to keep his explanation as clinical as possible. “Valentine will realize soon enough if the stone is destroyed, and he will try to take over the forest.” 

“You want me to help you stop him,” Merlin said sadly, a small huff escaping him. “You will die if you fight him now, Harry.” 

“I will die if I don’t fight him as well, Merlin. He’ll make sure of that,” Harry said with a tinge of annoyance. He was starting to get tired of these pointless conversations with both Merlin and Percival. It wasn’t like he was about to change his mind, for fuck’s sake. 

“Won’t you let me talk to Eggsy?” Merlin said in a small voice, his eyes pleading. 

“Merlin I will not force the lad into something he doesn’t want,” Harry said resolutely. “Besides, the stone will know if it isn’t genuine. Don’t you see that there’s nothing you can do to change this? We just have to make do with what has been given to us.” 

Harry stood up with difficulty, leaning softly against the wall as he gathered himself. He closed his eyes, clenched his jaw, and then stood up straight, looking as regal as he had a mere week ago. 

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a battle to plan,” He said drily, his lips quirking with an sardonic smile that made Merlin’s heart break. 

—————————-

“Eggsy,” the knight barked out, his voice rough and unforgiving. 

The younger man’s head immediately snapped up, surprised at the tone. He hadn’t heard Merlin this angry since he had broken the man’s bookstand when he was fifteen. “What’s the matter, Merlin?” 

The man offered him a letter, his eyes cold and dark. He looked at Eggsy for another moment or two, not saying a single word, before whirling around without looking back. He had given the boy the letter as Harry had asked, and his job was done. He knew he probably would need to talk to the younger man at some point, but the harsh sting of betrayal was still too fresh. 

He wasn’t sure how to forgive the boy after seeing Harry in such a state. Logically, he was aware that it wasn’t Eggsy’s fault. He was aware that the boyhood just been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Harry was now the one paying for it. His heart, however, wasn’t as keen on listening to reason. 

The only thing his heart knew was that his best friend laid in a bed, weakened and broken. 

Eggsy watched the man go, his lips parting in a silent protest. He was not sure whether to pursue the man and ask him what the hell was happening, or to just let him cool down on his own. 

He decided on the former as the letter in his hands was too much of a temptation. He opened it carefully, noting that it was very fine paper. He half smiled, assuming it would be a prank one of his cousins had gotten up to.

He froze, however, when he read the handwriting. 

_Dear Eggsy,_

_I apologize if this letter is not welcomed, but I feel compelled to apologize for last night. I am so sorry to have put you in such a position. Believe me when I say it was never my intention to make you so uncomfortable. I realize that your actions stemmed from the side effects of the stone, and were by no means your own. I hope you can find it in you to forgive my insensitive foolishness. I hope you won’t forget the good things you saw in this forest, and know that you are welcomed to wander around as much as you wish without the worry of having to find me here. I assure you, I will make sure you and I never cross paths again._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry._

Eggsy opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to wrap his mind around the words on the paper. Oh god, he hadn’t meant for Harry to feel guilty. The man was not at fault. It had been him who had kissed Harry. 

And now the man thought Eggsy blamed him. 

Oh god, What had he done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I wanted to get this up by wednesday but I didn't have time to finish it, so here we are. I am hoping to actually get you 14 by Wednesday.


	14. Come to the ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “The question, love, is whether you want me enough to take the risk.”  
> ― Lisa Kleypas

Eggsy ran as fast as his feet would carry him, not looking back at the many people who bowed to him as they saw him pass. He rode as if the devil was chasing him, not stopping until he reached the edge of the forest, swallowing hard as he noticed the forest looked much darker than he remembered.

He left his horse tied to the gate that divided the forest from the city, knowing that the castle horses were not able to go into the forest without going half mad. While it wasn’t the wisest choice to leave his adored JB out in the open like this - he had told no one he was going out tonight and thus they’d be looking for him - it was better for the guards to find the horse than for the horse to enter the forest again. Eggsy sighed softly, patting the animal comfortingly before entering the forest. 

His mouth dried up immediately as he noticed that the usually thick, green grass was now mostly short and withered. Eggsy had to actively look for green patches among the ocean of black and yellow grass. Many of the trees too looked unhealthy with their trunks partially cracked and fungi coming out in large sprouts. 

Eggsy walked carefully past the plants, looking with horror as he realized that the closer he got to the castle, the sicker the plants looked. 

_What had happened? Had Valentine attacked again? Was Harry hurt?_

The young man tensed involuntarily at the sound of wings and he looked up, not really surprised to find Lilith circling the skies. He was surprised, however, when she soared down, landing rather harshly on the ground right in front of him. The creature extended her wings, her eyes burning with cold anger as she growled softly. 

“What are you doing here?” She seethed, crouching slightly, which only served to make her look more menacing. 

Eggsy took a step back, surprised by Lilith’s hostility. “I’m here to see Harry,” Eggsy whispered, half tempted to raise his hands in an attempt to appease the woman. 

“He is not available,” she huffed out, her eyes trained on Eggsy’s every movement. 

Eggsy frowned, feeling a sharp sense of impotence. “Lilith, I need to see him.” 

“No,” she said coldly, clearly wanting to say more, but holding back by the skin of her teeth. 

“Lilith-”

“Let him pass, Lilith,” said Harry tiredly from behind her, hiding his surprise rather well - or so he hoped. 

The woman looked back at Harry, clearly ready to argue, but she desisted as she noticed her master’s tired look. He wasn’t up to fighting right now, not even when it was in his best interest not to see Eggsy anymore. She growled in frustration before finally taking off. 

Harry watched her go, knowing that she would still stick close enough to watch the proceedings. The last thing Lilith was willing to do right now was let Harry out of her sight, which was touching really, but at this point Harry only wished for some peace and quiet, not that he’d get it of course, not when he had hundreds of creatures looking for Valentine and another handful of them protecting the quickly decaying forest. 

“Harry,” Eggsy breathed out, taking a step closer, trying to look at the man who was still hidden by the shadows. 

“What are you doing here, Eggsy?” Harry asked softly, taking an unnoticeable step back. “I can’t keep my word if you come straight to the castle, you know?” 

“But I don’t want you to stay away,” Eggsy blurted out desperately, feeling wrung out. Why could no one understand that the last thing he wanted was to be parted from Harry?

Harry frowned, clamping down on the glimmer of hope that threatened to come out. This was not the time to play with emotions. He needed to conserve as much energy as possible to fight Valentine. 

“I am afraid I don’t know what you want, then,” Harry admitted quietly, still not emerging from the shadows. He didn’t need Eggsy to look at him right now. 

“I-” Eggsy opened and closed his mouth a few times, his heart rocketing in his chest. This was it. This was when he told Harry he loved him. But what if the man didn’t want him that way? He had said it himself, what had happened the other night were the effects of the stone. “I want to remain friends,” Eggsy breathed out, fisting his hands in anger. 

He couldn’t say it. He just couldn’t say it, because the last thing he wanted was to lose Harry right now. 

“Ah,” Harry murmured, taking another step back, letting the darkness swallow his sad countenance completely. 

Friends… how bitter that word tasted in Harry’s mouth. 

Eggsy bit his lip, wanting nothing more than to run to Harry’s side, if only to look at his face, to see what the man was thinking. “Harry, about last night I-”

“Stop,” Harry said immediately, his voice pleading. “Please, Eggsy, I would much rather not talk about that. Like I said in the letter, I am terribly sorry about… everything.” Harry rubbed his eyes, mustering up more energy to keep his face as blank as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was relieve the events of the night before. He wasn’t sure his heart could take it a second time, not when every cell in his being was fighting to sustain the power of the crown. “If you wish to continue visiting that is…fine,” Harry murmured, half tempted to tell the younger man that Harry wouldn’t be staying for much longer anyway. “And you can trust me to respect our… _friendship_.” 

Eggsy gaped,before murmuring “But Harry I-”

“No more, Eggsy, please. I am tired,” Harry said truthfully as he finally stepped out of the shadows, hoping that Eggsy couldn’t see past his veneer of calmness.

Eggsy finally nodded, feeling more than a bit lost at Harry’s refusal to listen to him. While he wasn’t really even sure what he wanted to tell Harry in the first place, for to explain to the man that it hadn’t been his fault, that it had been Eggsy’s fault, he would have to admit he loved him. 

But maybe that was exactly what he had to do. He couldn’t have Harry feeling guilty about this. It was clearly eating away at the man. 

“Harry, please, it wasn’t your fault-”

“Eggsy,” Harry said more forcefully, his eyes losing some of the warmth. “ _Please”_

Eggsy snapped his mouth shut, looking down at Harry’s feet. “Sorry.” 

“Thank you,” Harry said, still not looking at Eggsy in the eye. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could handle. “Now, I have been informed you will be choosing a wife in two days time,” Harry said monotonously. 

Eggsy’s head snapped up, his eyes widening at Harry’s words. “How do you-”

“Merlin told me,” Harry said with a stiff smile. “He mentioned it is to be a ball.” 

“Yeah,” Eggsy sighed. 

“Well Merlin mentioned you still needed a few dance lessons,” Harry said with a half smile, very much aware that the knight had said no such thing. And yet he couldn’t help himself. He needed to hold Eggsy, if only for just a moment. Perhaps he could pretend it was him Eggsy would choose, and not some random human woman who would happen to catch his fancy in two nights time. At this point he wasn’t even sure anymore whether it was because he loved him, or because the stone was so hungry for contact. 

Eggsy blushed. “I just… I ain’t that bad.” 

Harry chuckled softly, moving away as he murmured “Follow me.” 

Eggsy did as he was told, surprised when Harry took them down to the lake, the night looking brighter as a few fairies were circling the lake with their pretty lights. They stopped to look at their king, smiling at the two men before they began to circle the lake again.  

Eggsy couldn’t help but notice that their lights were not as bright as they had been a few days ago, when he had first seen them. “Harry, what is happening to the forest?” 

Harry remained quiet, instead offering his hand to Eggsy as a slow waltz suddenly began to play. Eggsy looked around trying to find the sound, gaping when he realized the sound was coming from the water itself.

The water rippled when he finally clasped Harry’s hand, the shock of pleasure now familiar to Eggsy. Harry pulled him closer, easing them into the dance, clearly taking the lead. He twirled Eggsy around, moving them around the perimeter of the lake. The water moving gracefully with them, brushing the grass near their feet. 

Eggsy was oblivious to all this, however, as he was doing his best to remember how to breathe. He could feel his face burning up, his skin tingling everywhere Harry touched, and he loved it. He looked into the man’s darkened eyes, and he smiled, half imagining what if would be like to do this in front of everyone in the kingdom. 

Harry, on the other hand was simply trying his best not to surge forward and just kiss Eggsy. God, how he wanted to feel those soft lips against his again, to pick Eggsy up and twirl him around, to kiss him and mark him. And yet he couldn’t allow himself to want that, not anymore. He knew where that would lead to, and the bitter disappointment was not something he wanted to deal with. He had promised Eggsy friendship, and that’s what he would deliver. 

“Harry,” Eggsy whispered, noticing a sudden change in the forest. Everything seemed to liven; the trees looked greener in the dark, the fairies’ lights were brighter, and the grass underneath their feet seemed to grow as they moved, flowers blooming unnaturally fast. “What-”

Suddenly Harry stopped, pushing Eggsy away slightly, the music stopping abruptly. He looked away a soft sight escaping him. “Well, Merlin was wrong,” he murmured, his voice coming out in soft pants. “You can most certainly dance.” He clenched his jaw, before finally looking back at Eggsy. “I am sure you will make a fine dance partner to your future wife.” 

And just like that the spell broke. The butterflies fluttering in Eggsy’s stomach died, leaving in their wake a hollowness that made Eggsy shudder. 

“Right,” Eggsy said and took a step back, losing his balance. 

Harry surged forward, grabbing Eggsy by his wrist and yanking him up before he could fall into the water. He pulled him close by his waist. Harry’s eyes dilated further, his mouth turning dry as he felt the warm heat emanating from Eggsy. 

“I think it’s best if you don’t come back,” Harry whispered his voice sounding tortured. “I- I can’t… I can’t give you friendship Eggsy,” Harry admitted with a chagrinned expression. “Not when I want more. It’s… it’s not fair to you.” 

Eggsy felt like the ground was giving way underneath him, sending him on a tumble to the ground. He gaped at Harry, too stunned to reply right away. 

_Harry wanted him too?_

Before Harry could apologize again, Eggsy surged forward, grabbing the man by the lapels of his jacket and crushed their lips together, purring with contentment. Harry gasped at the suddenness of Eggsy’s movements, giving Eggsy the chance to lick his way into Harry’s mouth with his inexperienced tongue. 

Harry moaned, his hand tightening on Eggsy’s waist as he used his height to surround all of Eggsy. He brought his other hand up, caressing the side of Eggsy’s face as he guided the messy kiss, rubbing the younger man’s cheek to calm him. 

Harry broke away, panting softly. He looked at Eggsy in the eyes, his own eyes holding a gleam of hope. “I don’t understand you-”

“I.. I want you, Harry,” Eggsy said, still too shy to bring himself to say _I love you_. “I wanted you from the beginning. I just didn’t think you-”

Harry cut him off, chuckling softly against Eggsy’s lips as the pieces fell into place. God, he had been such a fool. He suddenly began walking backwards, Eggsy following him as he refused to separate their joined mouths. Finally, Harry pushed him against the tree, leaning down to suck at Eggsy’s neck. Eggsy moaned obscenely, feeling his skin tingle at the still unfamiliar sensation. He rubbed himself against Harry’s thigh, as jolts of pleasure crossed through his system. 

“ _Harry,_ fuck,” Eggsy whined, his head falling back as the older man - emboldened by the sweet sounds the prince couldn’t seem to stop uttering - palmed his clothed cock ever so gently, teasing him mercilessly. “Harry, _please_ , I can’t - ah!” Eggsy all but screamed as Harry suddenly squeezed him, the sharp pain only adding to the fog of pleasure. 

Harry suddenly captured his lips again, gently opening Eggsy’s jacket, as well as the first few buttons of the younger man’s shirt. 

“God, you are so beautiful,” Harry said, his voice filled with wonder, before he leaned down again, sucking a mark into Eggsy’s collarbone. 

Eggsy moaned again, before bringing Harry up again, mouthing at the man’s jaw, wanting to know what he tasted like. 

“Master,” Lilith called out all of a sudden, shattering the sense of privacy they had managed to create. 

Harry jumped away, clearly startled by his second in command. “What’s the matter Lilith?” 

“The guard from the palace has entered the forest, my lord. They are looking for the prince.”   

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Eggsy groaned, coming closer to Harry. 

“I am assuming you left without notice?” Harry said, sounding half annoyed, half amused. 

Eggsy sighed, nodding against Harry’s neck, where he was now hiding his face. He kissed the man’s neck, no longer caring that Lilith was there. “Can’t you get them to go away?”

“I am afraid we don’t want to create unnecessary trouble,” Harry said breathlessly, sounding truly sorry. 

“But-”

“You should go back anyway. It’s late,” Harry said, giving Eggsy a chaste kiss. “You can come visit me again tomorrow.” 

“I can’t. They’ll be watching me like hawks.” Eggsy suddenly pulled Harry by the lapels of his jacket. “Promise me you’ll come to the ball.” 

Harry gaped at the younger man, his heart fluttering. “I-”

“I want you, Harry. I want them all to know that I-” Eggsy was cut off short as Harry kissed him again, biting his lower lip. 

“I won’t be able to get there until after the sun has set,” Harry warned.

“That’s alright,” Eggsy assured him, kissing him again and again. “We won’t start without you.”

Suddenly Harry's eyes flickered with doubt. “Eggsy are you sure of this? This is not a decision you should make lightly. You-”

“Harry just promise me you’ll come,” Eggsy said. 

Harry smiled softly, before nodding, giving Eggsy one last kiss, before stepping away. “Go, Eggsy. I will see you soon.” 

Eggsy grinned at the man, before turning around to follow Lilith, who was now smiling at him warmly. 

_Oh so that’s why she had been angry earlier._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay. Life has been crazy. 
> 
> But I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
> 
> P.S [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmjLVYgpC6U) is the waltz I talk about here, which you can find in the [ playlist](http://8tracks.com/ddaaa/swan-lake-au) hartwin-danny made for this fic


	15. A macabre plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Animals don't behave like men,' he said. 'If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.”  
> ― Richard Adams

Harry watched Eggsy go with a small smile, sagging against the tree as soon as the young man was out of sight. He closed his eyes for a second, his lips still burning where they had touched Eggsy’s lips, his skin. 

The man sagged against the nearest tree, feeling his body steadily rise up in temperature. A wave of what he assumed to be delayed pleasure hit him, making him shiver against the hard tree. He panted out a wisp of breath, the air cold enough for the breath to be visible. Harry couldn’t feel the cold, though; no, in fact, it was far too hot, especially with his constrictive clothes, even when he wasn’t wearing that many garments. 

He undid his jacket, letting the frosty air hit him straight on the face. The air still didn’t feel cold, however. It felt like a warm caress, making Harry moan softly as he looked down, surprised to find himself hard in his confines. 

He frowned, softly trying to comprehend what was happening to his body. Yes, he had been aroused when kissing Eggsy, but why did he feel more aroused right now? What in the world was happening to him? 

Suddenly, everything became clear as another wave of pleasure wracked his body, the red stone crackling with energy. 

_The stone was trying to restore his energy._

Harry eased himself to the ground, his body working on automatic as he undid his fly and pulled his hard aching cock out. He closed his eyes, Eggsy’s sweet smell still lingering on his nostrils. He pictured the way Eggsy had writhed under his touch, the way he had moaned obscenely against Harry, even though the man had done nothing more than kiss and suck at his neck. 

Harry spit on his hand before rubbing his head, dirtying his hands with his own leaking precome. He moaned again, picturing a naked Eggsy spread out on his bed. How would the young man react to being opened up? Would he moan under Harry’s ministration, or would he shy away from Harry’s touch, the sensations being too much at first to handle? Would he be unable to steady his hips if Harry were to taste him with his mouth? Would he hold on to the headboard as Harry fucked into him, slowly at first, just to feel Eggsy? 

Harry grunted, quickening the pace of his hand as the dizzying pleasure shook his body, and it made his cock leak copiously. He squeezed his cock tighter as he fucked his fist, Eggsy’s names falling from his lips in quick succession as he brought himself closer and closer to the edge. With a final thrust, and a grunt, he came, the stone shining brightly as Harry tried to catch his breath. 

He stayed on the ground for a while, finally beginning to feel the cold. He looked to the side, surprised to find the lake shining red. The water overflowed, slowly drenching the dying grass. The water ran past the trees and the flowers, wetting the hoofs and paws of many an animal. Harry felt the water wet his back, his jacket, and he closed his eyes, gasping softly as he felt a burst of energy overtake him. 

When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that the forest was shining bright with the fairies’ lights. The trees were looking as tall and proud as they had a few weeks ago, and Harry himself felt like a rejuvenated man. 

He stood up with little difficulty, tucking himself back in with deft hands. Harry walked to the lake, crouching to wash his soiled hands. He laughed softly, shaking his head slightly. Who would have thought that that was what needed to happen for the stone to restore itself. 

Of course, he knew it wasn’t as simple as it looked. It wasn’t the fact that he had come, it was the fact that he had accepted, finally, that he was madly in love with the young prince. He had granted the young man access to his most intimate thoughts, allowing the stone to feed off of that love after so many years of being starved. He knew very well that this burst of energy would soon die down if the process wasn’t completed. The stone would demand his love to be reciprocated and, until Eggsy declared his love aloud, the young man’s feelings would not be acknowledged by the stone. 

Still, Harry wasn’t overtly worried. He had a feeling Eggsy would confess his feelings, whatever those may be, at the ball. 

“Percival,” he barked out, his voice breaking the stillness of the night. He could feel the air cackling as the man approached and he smiled, before barking out “Lilith!” 

“I am assuming the boy did something?” Percival said with a small smile from behind Harry, watching the soil as the water from the lake receded back to where it came from. “The forest seems to be healing rather quickly.” 

Harry nodded, turning to face the man. “He hasn’t said anything yet but… We will wait to attack Valentine. We’ll attack the morning after the ball.” 

Percival nodded, not questioning Harry’s reasoning. “I’ll have the soldiers rest then.” 

“We should still continue to heavily protect the forest. Not because the stone is starting to restore itself means we can let our guard down. Valentine will notice the change soon enough,” Harry murmured darkly, looking up at the moon. “We can’t let him win, not now that we are so close.” 

Percival nodded again, turning as Lilith landed on the ground near her master. “You called, sir?” 

“Did he reach the border safely?” Harry asked immediately, all thoughts of Valentine leaving his mind as he remembered why Lilith had left in the first place. 

“Yes, sir. Merlin took him personally. He left our borders safe. I also sent one of the valkyries to watch over them. No harm will come to either one of them,” Lilith assured him, keeping her head bowed. 

“Good,” Harry said, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. “I want you to take some of the guard and post it all around the forest. Tell the rest of the guard to get some much deserved rest. We will be postponing the attack until after the ball.” 

“Of course, sir,” Lilith said, unable to keep a smile off her face. “You look healthier than you did a few hours ago, sir.” 

“I feel healthier too,” Harry said indulgently as he came close enough to squeeze her hand. “Thank you for everything, my dear.” 

She nodded, giving him another smile before taking off, the flutter of wings echoing through the forest. 

———————————-

“Master,” A young woman uttered, not even noticing the human king in her haste to get to her own. “The Swan King has-”

Chester cleared his throat, his eyes falling harshly on the young woman. She turned to look at him, her dark eyes narrowing into two slits. She huffed at him, half tempted to growl at the man. She was appeased, however, by Valentine, who put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly. 

“Enough, Chester, she clearly has pressing matters to discuss. She meant no disrespect to you,” the man assured the human, his voice bordering on bored. “Now, speak my dear.” 

She gave her master a loving smile, before murmuring “The stone has started restoring itself, master. It will gain its full power if we don’t do something soon. I overheard them talking, and the swan king seems to have fallen in love with the human prince.” 

Valentine stared at the lovely young woman with surprise before a chuckle escaped him, a chuckle which soon turned into a breathless laugh. “Well who would have thought that Harry would eventually find someone to love.” He shook his head softly, a smile still on his lips. “Did you hear whether or not the young man loves him back.” 

“He invited the king to the ball. I think it’s safe to say that he does,” the woman murmured, her face serious.

Valentine nodded, his expression immediately turning pensive, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Well we can’t have that,” he said in a low voice. 

Chester frowned, looking annoyed. “Why does it matter whether or not Harry loves the boy? You said you were stronger than him, did you not? Just kill him already.” 

Valentine glared at Chester, taking a deep breath to remind himself he couldn’t just kill the man. “The stone Harry wears upon his head feeds on love, Chester. If the boy declares his love for Harry, then the stone will attain its full power, and he will be virtually invincible. It’s no small matter, “ the man thundered in a chiding tone. 

“Then kill him now,” Chester snapped with a roll of his eyes. “You’ve been delaying this for the past twenty five years. It’s time you ended this.” 

“Do you think I have been sitting here with my arms crossed?” Valentine thundered, his eyes fuming. “The stone has been incredibly resistant. It only recently began to lose its power, and now that Harry has found a way to restore it, I can’t just barge in and kill him.” 

“Then what do you propose we do, Valentine, because as soon as that boy declares his intentions to marry, I will have to relinquish the throne, and you will have no more protections,” Chester reminded him in a seething voice. 

Valentine moved away, turning to look at the window. “Bring me your son, Chester.” 

Chester froze, frowning softly, anger flowing out of him in waves. “What do you want with my son?” 

Valentine rolled his eyes, looking at a sympathetic Gazelle to gather strength. “The stone feeds on love. If we can trick the prince into confessing his love for the wrong person, then the stone will lose all of its power, and we can finally end this.”

Chester still didn’t look convinced. “And how do you propose to get him to declare his love for my son? The two hate each other.” 

Valentine smiled softly, making him look almost benevolent. “Just bring Charlie to me, Chester. I will take care of the rest.” He turned to look at the window again, his smile turning cruel. “And stop worrying so much. Their precious Swan King _will_ meet his end at the ball.”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay. Life has been very busy for me lately. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	16. Time's up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Choices made, whether bad or good, follow you forever and affect everyone in their path one way or another.”  
> ― J.E.B. Spredemann

Harry fixed the collar of his pristine shirt, pulling the bottom of his dark grey vest to smooth it out. He picked up a small gold pocket watch, before bringing his hands up to fix his hair for the umpteenth time. He looked out the window, smiling as the moonlight shone inside his room. 

He had just managed to transform back to his human form a few moments ago, so truly, being ready in such a short period of time made him absurdly proud. 

“You look fine, Harry,” Percival assured him with mild annoyance, looking at the man from where he was leaning against the wall near the door. “Now you should get going or you are going to be late.” 

Harry nodded, swallowing hard before freezing as the realization that he was going to have to see Michelle again dawned upon him. “Percival, I can’t do this.” 

The man rolled his eyes, pushing himself off of the wall. “Stop being ridiculous Harry. You need to get there to restore the stone. Now get-”

Harry shook his head, bringing his hands up to undo the lapels that held his cape in place. “No, Percival, I can’t - What if Michelle can’t forgive me? I-”

Percival flew to his side, grabbing the man’s hands to stop his movements. “are you mad? You have to go Harry! For god’s sake, she’s not going to be mad at you. You did your job. You protected your king until you were unable to so, and then you protected his son.” 

Harry licked his lips, still not looking convinced. “I know, but… What if she disproves of the union? I am much older than Eggsy, Percival. I don’t think that’s what she had in mind when she told Eggsy he could choose a wife. Hell, I don’t even know if she wants her son to marry a man.” 

Percival sighed, looking up at Harry with patient eyes. “Harry, her opinions are irrelevant in this case. I am afraid this is far bigger than the two of you. Besides, I am sure she will come around once she sees that her son is _happy_.”

“Right,” Harry murmured without much conviction, turning around again to look at himself in the mirror. He looked much better again, now that the stone was practically restored. “Right.” 

Suddenly, a pained and loud cry broke the quietness of the forest, the sound reverberating all around the palace. Harry whirled around and ran to the nearest window, a gasp escaping him when he saw the swans flying away, the smell of fear thick in the air. 

He jumped without a second thought, landing softly on the ground as the air held him back to avoid a collision. He ran towards the lake, his heart in his mouth as he ran past a myriad of trees and animals. He could feel Valentine’s energy cackling in the air. 

How had the man gotten past his guards? And how had Harry not noticed him? It was simply unacceptable that he had been so utterly distracted by going to see Eggsy that he had stopped paying attention to what was happening right outside his doors. 

He reached the edge of the water, a pained sound escaping him as he saw many of his winged friends laying on the shore, bleeding profusely. He ran to where the swans lay, making sure not to touch them. He extended his arms, and opened his palms, whispering under his breath. He looked at the small creatures, a pang of guilt coursing through his system. He couldn’t let the swans die. They had been his companions for the past twenty five years. They had taught him how to fly properly, and how to accept his new reality. 

He would not lose them because of Valentine. 

Suddenly, Harry frowned, a sense of dread filling him. Why had Valentine attacked the Swans? Yes, the swans were the protectors of the lake, but without the stone currently sitting on Harry’s head, the lake was useless to Valentine. There was no reason to attack them, not unless the man had the stone - which he didn’t.

Then what had been his point? Valentine never did anything without a reason. 

Harry brushed the thought aside for the moment, knowing that - regardless of the reason - he couldn’t let the swans die. 

“Harry you’ll be late,” Percival urged, squashing his own worry for the animals in favor for reason. 

“For fuck’s sake, Percival, it’s fine. Eggsy will understand,” Harry snapped, returning his attention to the animals. 

—————————————-

Eggsy paced from one side to the other, feeling his mother’s gaze on the back of his neck. The sun had just gone down, which meant Harry must have surely transformed by now. Eggsy knew he couldn’t expect the man to be there immediately, but he did hope Harry would hurry. He wasn’t quite sure how much longer he could hold his mother off before she made him dance with some girl or other. 

Suddenly, the doors to the hall opened and in came Harry, wearing a dark black suit and a dark gold vest that suited him beautifully. The man smiled at Eggsy, a half smile that Eggsy was sure he had never seen on Harry’s lips before. He approached Eggsy quickly, his movements not nearly as graceful as they generally were. 

“Hello, my dear,” he murmured, giving Eggsy a curt nod. 

Eggsy frowned softly, looking at the black pendant hanging from Harry’s neck, noticing that he was not wearing his crown. “What’s that? Where’s your stone? Don’t you need it for protection?” 

“I can’t take it out of the forest,” the man said easily. “I brought this other stone, however, which should be enough protection if something happens.” 

Eggsy nodded, feeling slightly calmer, though something still felt… off. 

“Shall we dance?” Harry murmured, extending his hand to grasp Eggsy’s, not waiting for the younger man to say yes. 

Eggsy didn’t protest this new more forceful side of Harry, however, assuming it was simply the nerves of meeting Michelle again, as his mother seemed to be lurking closer to them. 

Harry clasped Eggsy’s waist once they were on the dance floor, easily leading the two in a slow dance. He looked at Eggsy with a small smile on his face that did not quite reach his eyes, nevertheless it was warm enough to make Eggsy’s insides flutter. 

“I was worried you wouldn’t come,” Eggsy admitted as Harry swayed them. 

“I told you I would come,” Harry murmured, squeezing Eggsy’s hand softly. “I always keep my promises.” 

Eggsy nodded, unable to keep a grin off of his face. “Though, to be honest, you were awfully fast. I figured you’d be here later, if you did come that is.” 

“Ah I had someone with my clothing ready here in the town,” Harry said slightly to quickly. “I didn’t want to make you wait, so I figured I would try to be here as early as possible.” 

“I didn’t know you knew anyone in the town,” Eggsy murmured as Harry twirled him, bringing him back with ease. 

“There’s an awful lot you don’t know about me,” Harry noted, his face revealing nothing. 

There was something different about the way Harry was moving. His movements weren’t quite as precise or graceful. They weren’t quite swan-like, but then again, Eggsy had only danced with the man once, so his initial observation may have been far off. 

“I still haven’t changed my mind,” Eggsy said, wanting to make sure this was also what Harry wanted. 

Suddenly the man gave him a dazzling smile, his eyes shining with something Eggsy couldn’t quite recognize, but what he assumed was a good thing. Eggsy watched his mother from the corner of his eyes, noticing the trepidation in her eyes, and something clicked in Eggsy’s brain. 

_It was time._

Without saying a word, he pulled away, grabbing Harry’s hand to pull him along as he went up the stairs to stand at the top of the stairs, right next to where his mother was standing. He looked towards their speaker for the night, and gave him a small nod, signaling the man to quieten the room. The man hit his long staff, the sound reverberating around the room, signaling to the people it was time to quiet down. 

Eggsy cleared his throat, looking at his mother with apprehensive eyes, before giving her a comforting smile. He approached his mother, never letting go of Harry’s hand. He saw Merlin standing near the entrance, looking confused and pale as a sheet. The man seemed to want to say something, but he held his tongue, waiting to see what was it that Eggsy wanted to do. 

Eggsy paused for a second, surprise by the expression on Merlin’s face, before shaking his head. Harry had probably not told the man Eggsy was going to propose today, as Harry himself had not known. It was probably just the shock. 

“Mother, there is something I must announce,” Eggsy said loudly for all the room to hear. The already quiet room went as silent as a tomb, everyone virtually holding their breath to hear what their king-to-be had to say. Eggsy smiled at the crowd, hoping that perhaps warmth would make their hearts soften. “As you all know to take the throne I have to marry,” he began his voice loud enough to be heard by all. “So I present to you the man I want to marry.” He turned to face his mother, taking a deep breath before murmuring “I love him, mother.” 

Michelle gaped, a look of utter horror crossing her features. She opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything, a loud gasp coming from the door snatched away everyone’s attention, including hers.

There at the door stood Harry, his mouth agape. He, unlike the man standing next to Eggsy was wearing a dark grey vest and an elegant suit, his crown sitting royally on top of his head. 

“Eggsy, why-” he whispered his voice dissolving into nothingness as his face scrunched up with pain, a look of utter betrayal taking over his eyes. 

Why had Eggsy invited him when the boy’s plan had been to declare his love for Charlie all along? Or was it that he had just realized he loved the other man? Perhaps that was it. Yes, it had to be it. Eggsy might not love Harry, but he was not cruel. He wouldn’t purposefully bring Harry out just to embarrass him and break his heart. He had known Charlie for much longer than he had Harry. Merlin had always told him the two didn't particularly get along, but he had seen time and time again - in his youth - how petty rivalries turned to love or lust. 

Eggsy had finally come to realize what Harry had feared from the beginning - it wasn't Harry that he wanted, but someone else. 

Still, couldn’t he have sent someone to warn him? Couldn’t he have spared Harry the pain of having to see Eggsy holding another man’s hand, of declaring his love for someone else? 

A sharp pain flared up inside Harry’s body, eliciting a pained cry from the man. He felt his insides burn and his brain thrummed in his head as if being hit by a hammer. He closed his eyes tightly, missing the way his crown shown brightly as it cracked neatly in half. 

Harry fell to his knees, feeling his strength leave him alarmingly fast, his powers vanishing one by one as the ruby slowly turned completely black, it’s power gone. Harry gasped again, the excruciating fire burning his heart from the inside out too much to handle. 

He distantly wondered how hard it would be to just rip his heart out to stop the thrumming pain which did not seem likely to stop any time soon. He would certainly die, but death would also mean an end to the pain. 

With a final burst of pain which forced Harry to close his eyes, he felt the darkness grab him, dragging him deeper and deeper down. He allowed it to take him, making the pain subside as he fainted. 

“Harry!” Screamed Merlin, grabbing the man before he could reach the floor, only to look back up as Valentine stepped from out of the crow, a triumphant smile on his lips. 

He extended his arm and opened his palm, clearly ready to deal out a final blow. Merlin growled, picking the unconscious man up bridal style before running out of the hall, avoiding Valentine’s blast by mere inches. He ran down the stairs, making his way through the castle faster than he would have thought possible, considering he had an unconscious man in his arms. 

He reached the door and thanked the heavens when he saw Harry’s carriage still standing there, the dazzling white horses both turning to look at the knight as they felt the faint presence of  their master. Merlin deposited Harry in the carriage, jumping inside before screaming “To the forest!” 

The horses seemed to understand what he meant, for they immediately took off, running as if the very devil was chasing them. Merlin held on to Harry, not wanting the man to be bruised by the rough ride, especially not in his current condition. 

“Come on, we’re almost there,” Merlin whispered, his mouth drying up at the sight of the now dark looking forest. 

He turned back to look at the street, clenching his jaw when he saw that Valentine wasn’t too far behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand cliff hanger, lol. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	17. Final battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”   
> ― J.R.R. Tolkien

They came to a skidding halt right next to the lake, the horses whining in fear as a blast of dark energy flew past them. The force of the hit jolted the cart, shaking Merlin and Harry hard. Merlin grunted in pain as he narrowly avoided hitting his head against the side of the cart. 

The jolt shook some sense into the now dark corners of Harry’s mind, his brain screaming at him to wake up as the promise of danger was lurking near. He opened his eyes slowly, his body not immediately responding to his commands. He summoned every ounce of strength left in his body, grunting in pain as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. 

He breathed out shallowly, looking at his friend with confusion. Why the hell were they in the carriage, and why the hell were they back at the forest?

His questions were soon answered as another blast blew past the carriage, scratching the side rather violently. 

_Valentine._

Harry suddenly grabbed Merlin’s hand, pushing the back door open as he toppled them both to the lake just in time to avoid Valentine’s next blast, which destroyed the inside of the carriage. Merlin quickly resurfaced, spitting water everywhere as he tried to gain some sort of footing. He coughed, looking around for Harry who still had not come back up. Harry remained underneath the surface for a few seconds, the inherent power stored in the lake restoring enough of his energy to clear his mind. 

The forest’s energy was crumbling. He needed to find a way to restore the energy now that the stone was gone. 

He finally resurfaced, swimming to the shore and pushing himself out of the water. Merlin followed suit, pushing Harry to the side as Valentine blew another blast, finally coming to stand a few feet from the two men. 

Harry looked up at Valentine from where he laid on the ground, breathing hard. He looked back at Merlin, felling fear for the first time in many years. 

He couldn’t protect his friend. He didn’t have the power to do so anymore. 

Valentine seemed to have also realized this, for his eyes were on Merlin, a triumphant smile on his lips. Harry quickly scrambled to his feet, sensing the energy necessary for a blast cackling around Valentine. He stood in front of Merlin, who was still in the process of getting up, just as Valentine unleashed his blast. 

Harry raised one arm, woefully aware that he had no powers to raise up a shield. He felt the blast hit him in full on the side of his abdomen, and he grunted softly in pain, unwilling to scream with Merlin still there. 

“Merlin, run,” Harry breathed out, covering the now bleeding wound with his coat. “You need to get out of here, _now._ ” 

Merlin shook his head vehemently, standing next to Harry. “I am not going to leave you-”

"Don't be a fool there is nothing you can do here,” Harry insisted, still not looking at Merlin. “Your duty is to the soon to be king. I'll be fine…. just go." 

"I believe we have a score to settle, don't we master Hart?” Valentine said with a small smile, coming a few steps closer as he looked up at Harry’s crown. “You have something that belongs to _me”._

Harry scoffed, taking a few steps forward to block Merlin from the man’s sight. “I don’t remember the stone choosing you, Valentine.” 

Before the man could answer, Lilith swooped down grabbing Harry by his shirt as she hauled him up, flying quickly past the lake. She flew past the dying trees and the animals, reaching the castle with Valentine hot on their heels. They hurried to the throne room, were Lilith finally let Harry go. 

“Lilith, get Merlin to safety. The forest is not safe anymore,” Harry said immediately, turning away from the woman before she could answer as Valentine finally caught up with them.

“It doesn’t matter where you run off to, Harry,” the man said half annoyed. “You cannot defeat me, my dear man.” 

“You knew,” Harry said, a new bout of rage filling him. “You knew Eggsy would-”

“Choose Charlie?” Valentine suggested innocently. “Of course I did. The two have been together on and off for years,” Valentine lied calmly. “Chester informed me that Eggsy had finally decided to take Charlie back, and that they would be announcing it at the ball.” Valentine shrugged, giving Harry a pitying luck. “What can I say, Harry, young love is like that. They don’t know what they want until they do. I am sure he didn’t mean to hurt you,” the man murmured, his voice filled with contempt. 

Harry nodded resignedly, unable to bring himself to hate Eggsy. Valentine was very much right in a way. It had been idiotic of him to expect Eggsy to love him. Eggsy was still young, still discovering both who he was and what he wanted in life. He had probably been confused by the sudden attraction he had felt towards Harry and had confused it with love. It was one of the downfalls of wearing the matching power stones for so long. 

It really wasn’t Eggsy’s fault. If anything, it was Harry’s fault for having delayed his attack on Valentine. 

Before either man could say anything else, the doors flung open, revealing a disheveled looking Eggsy. 

“Harry-” He started but was cut off short from a blast from Valentine. He covered his face immediately, but he needn’t have worried, as his stone immediately sprung to live, putting up a yellow barrier between Eggsy and Valentine. 

"Leave him out of this, Valentine,” Harry suddenly growled, unable to stop his heart from clenching with worry. “Your battle is with me.”

The man laughed hysterically, his eyes deranged. "Battle you say? You have lost already, Harry. You have no more powers. The boy broke your power stone by breaking your heart.” He turned to face Eggsy for a second, murmuring under his breath without the two men noticing. He needed to keep Eggsy quiet, and the only way to do that was by casting a spell around him. “You cannot defeat me, you fool."

"Then kill me," Harry said calmly as he fisted his hands, his eyes never straying to where Eggsy was confined by the stone’s magic. "Kill me but _spare_ _him_. That's all I ask. He is human, and of no use to you.”

Valentine laughed again, shaking his head softly. “He betrayed you and you still love him” Valentine mocked. “How pathetic… Still, you are in no position to make demands, Harry-"

Harry turned to face Eggsy, the young man looking like he was trying to say something but his lips wouldn’t move. Harry wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t sure what to tell Harry or if it was because he didn’t think Harry would forgive him. 

"On the contrary,” Harry murmured finally, gathering up the last remains of his strength to anchor the forest. “This forest still responds to me and me alone. So if you want me to cooperate, you'll let him go, unharmed.” Harry turned to face Lilith, who was looking positively murderous. “Get him out of here Lilith. Take him to Merlin.” 

Eggsy shook his head vehemently, trying yet again to speak but his mouth just wouldn’t move. It seemed to be out of his control, which he was sure was Valentine’s doing. He growled in frustration, both at not being able to speak and at not being able to move. The bloody stone seemed to be keeping him in place, as if aware that if he moved any closer he would get killed. 

Never in his life had he been more frustrated with the bloody stone. It was keeping him away from Harry. So not only could he not explain that he had not meant to declare his love for Charlie, he could not even move closer to him. 

_Unless he could get rid of the stone._

Of course. That was it. Harry could not defeat Valentine without his powers, which he no longer had, but Eggsy still had his stone. They could still come out of this alive. 

Before Lilith could reach him he took off his stone, throwing it at Harry without a trace of hesitance. Harry, seeing the movement from the corner of his eye, turned to catch the stone just as Valentine sent another blast in his direction. 

The blast clashed against a solid yellow shield which immediately appeared in front of Harry. Harry looked down at the stone, feeling a small twinge of surprise by the amount of energy was stored in the stone. 

Why the bloody hell did it have so much energy? 

_Oh._

Of course, the stone was - much like his own - dependent on a source of love. Harry’s love for Eggsy was still fueling the damn stone. 

How ironic. 

The first stone had lost its power because Harry’s love did not love him back, and yet here he was, holding a second stone fueled by his very own heart. It seemed like he had to do everything by himself, after all. 

He closed his eyes, concentrating on channeling the full power of the stone into a single blast. A blast that could not miss. This was his last chance, after all.

His eyes slowly turned yellow as the power stored within the stone filled his body. He looked at Valentine, flicking his wrist to the side to mold the marble floor where Valentine stood, making it climb up Valentine’s legs to keep him in place. 

“ _obcido_ ,” Harry whispered, opening his left hand to let out a yellow blast that shook the palace. 

Lilith grabbed Eggsy and pulled him closer, covering the two of them with her wings as the ceiling crumbled, bits and pieces of rock falling everywhere, the blast too much for the weak building to handle. Harry covered his eyes as the room filled with dust, his heart racing with the strain of it all. He was finding it hard to remain standing. 

He finally uncovered his tired eyes once the dust settled, turning to look at where Valentine’s body laid limp on the cracked floor. 

Finally, the magician was dead. The forest was safe. Now it was time to deal with Eggsy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay you get this chapter early!


	18. A Parting Blessing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.”  
> ― Anaïs Nin

“Percival,” Harry murmured as soon as the dust had settled, turning to face the forming figure that soon turned into Percival. He smiled softly at his old friend, clasping the man’s shoulder both out of relief and to keep himself upright. “I need you to escort the prince back to the castle. The forest is crumbling and this is no place for-”

Eggsy immediately perked up at the mention of his title. “What? No, Harry, wait, I-”

“Quiet, Eggsy,” Harry commanded immediately, not looking back at the younger man. He wasn’t sure he could face him right now. A part of him wanted to scream at him, while the other just wanted to be left alone to sulk in peace. 

He knew it wasn’t really Eggsy’s fault. He knew that, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel the sting. 

Nevertheless, that no longer mattered. He was running out of time, and there were still a myriad of things to do. “You and Merlin will help him dethrone Chester. That man has been in power for far too long.” 

He gave Percival the yellow stone meant to belong to the queen of the forest, immediately feeling weaker as the stone’s strength left him. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the feeling of being stripped away from his powers. It was like losing a piece of himself every time. Except, that wasn’t his stone now was it? 

His stone had been broken, just as his heart. 

No, he would not self pity himself. What was done was done. He didn’t have the time to whine or to let himself feel the pain Eggsy’s actions had brought. It was time to let the younger man go. And, more importantly, it was time to let him go without blame. 

He knew Eggsy would feel guilty if he didn’t absolve him of his actions. 

Eggsy watched the two men talk, feeling more and more frustrated as he waited. First, Valentine had kept him from talking, and now Harry. Why wouldn’t Harry listen to him? Yes, he had made a mistake. He hadn’t realized that that was Charlie in disguise, but Harry knew Eggsy loved him. 

He understood that Harry was mad about the stone, but not letting Eggsy talk was just ridiculous. “Harry-” he tried again, only to be cut off by the man again. 

Harry grabbed Percival’s hand, hoping that the man would understand his urgency. “Percival, get him out of here, quickly, we don’t have the time-”

“No, Harry, wait-” Eggsy all but growled. 

“Lilith,” Harry called out, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding when Lilith grabbed Eggsy by the shoulders, ready to pull him away at her master’s orders. 

“You are a fine young man, Eggsy,” Harry rasped, still not facing Eggsy. He was starting to feel dizzy, and he wasn’t sure if it was the wound Valentine had inflicted or something else entirely. 

He finally turned to face Eggsy, careful to keep his own face blank. “You are courageous, and brilliant, and you will make a great king, of that I’m sure. Your father would be very proud.” Harry cleared his throat, steeling himself for what he was about to say. 

He needed to let Eggsy go without guilt. There was no need to torture the boy any further, not when Harry was about to die anyway. Besides, what truly mattered now was the future of both the kingdom and the forest. 

The time for loving relationships, and angry rants was over. 

Harry clenched his jaw, before murmuring softly “While I can’t say I am glad you have chosen Chester’s son to be your partner, I understand that one can’t do much when the heart chooses for you. Just make sure that he is not like his father. If not, you can always choose to marry the lovely Lady Roxanne, who Merlin tells me is a good friend of yours. I’m sure she would make a marvelous queen.” 

“What?” Eggsy froze out of surprise, not understanding what the hell Harry was talking about. 

How the hell did he even know it was Charlie that had stood up there? The man had looked exactly like Harry until Charlie had yanked off his necklace, long after Harry had fainted in the middle of the hall. 

Did the man really think- 

Eggsy’s eyes widened, and he tried to break free out of Lilith’s hold, but it was impossible. “Harry-”

Harry stood up straighter, feeling his heart bleed out in his hands. He did not want to hear Eggsy apologize. He did not want to hear his excuses. He was done. He needed this to be done.  

Hell, he wasn’t sure he could bear to hear his lovely voice right now, not if he wanted to get through his good bye without breaking down. 

He closed his eyes as he opened his mouth to utter one last blessing for Eggsy; a parting gift of sorts. “May you have a good life, Eggsy, and may it be fruitful and happy.” Harry opened his eyes and looked up at Lilith, feeling dizzier and dizzier by the second. He nodded imperceptibly to her before murmuring “goodbye, Prince Gary.”

Lilith took off immediately, not allowing Eggsy to even say goodbye, knowing that that was what her master wanted. She held back a sob, feeling the forest’s energy dropping even lower as Harry’s life force waned. 

“Lilith let me go!” Eggsy growled, clawing at her hands to break free. 

She did not let go, however, until they reached the now dark lake, where Merlin was being held by a few of Lilith’s men. 

“Apologies, Merlin,” she said immediately, as she dropped Eggsy next to the man. “But Harry didn’t want you to be harmed. There’s no need to worry. The battle is over, and Harry has won.” 

Merlin bit back a myriad of insults that crossed his mind, choosing instead to nod coldly. “And how’s Harry?” 

The woman’s face darkened, and she looked away. She took in the sight of the calm river, noticing with sadness how the usually crystal clear water now looked polluted. “You need to get out of the forest, before it is too late,” she murmured evasively. “My master’s health… is no longer something you need to worry about,” she murmured softly. 

Merlin’s heart sank at that and his knees trembled as the reality of her words sliced him open. He pushed past her man, grabbing her hand as he murmured “I need to see him, Lilith. I am not losing my best friend without seeing him again.” 

She shook her head, her eyes sad. “Your job is to take him,” she pointed to Eggsy, a look of anger crossing her features “and deliver him safely back to the castle.” 

“I need to talk to Harry,” Eggsy finally snapped, stepping close to Lilith despite the guards best efforts to stop Eggsy. “I didn’t know that was wasn’t Harry, Lilith. He looked like Harry. I didn’t know it was a spell. He needs to know that. I didn’t betray him. I didn’t. I… please I need to talk to him.” 

Lilith’s breath hitched as realization hit her. This had been Valentine’s plan all along. The man had achieved his goal; he had broken the stone along with Harry’s heart. 

Fucking Valentine. 

She suddenly took Eggsy by the arms again, ready to fly him back to the castle, when she suddenly fell to the ground, a sharp, pained scream escaping her. 

She could feel something within her very core breaking, clipping her wings in the process. She touched her back, frantically feeling for where her wings connected with her back, and she screamed again as she felt the blood gushing out of her body. 

That had to mean….

No. 

No, no, no, it couldn’t be. 

She shook her head, a few tears falling down her face. “Eggsy… He’s…” 

“No,” Eggsy growled frantically, stepping away from them. “Don’t you dare. He’s still alive.” 

With that he took off running, not looking back at the bleeding general in favor of reaching the castle. 

——————————————————-  
Harry watched Percival dissolve into nothingness, a wry smile gracing his lips as he dragged himself back to his room. He took off his long coat, humming in pain as he looked down at his grey vest. 

It was marred with blood. 

So Valentine’s aim had been true after all. Bloody hell. Even dead the man was a terrible inconvenience for Harry. It seemed like no mater what he did, Harry could not win against him. 

“James,” he suddenly whispered, dropping the coat on the ground as he turned to face the seer. The room shone as James appeared, wearing a long, dark cloak. “There you are,” Harry murmured with a soft smiled as he swayed, the effort of staying upright too much for him.  

“Bloody, hell, Harry,” the man exclaimed as he took in the sight of his bloodied king. He grabbed Harry by the arm and he steered the king to the bed, but Harry refused to sit.  “How… we need to get you help. You are bleeding-”

“You were right my friend, when you told me - all those years ago - that the real question was whether he would chose me or not. It all makes so much sense now. ” Harry chuckled hollowly, touching his bloodied vest. “Well, he chose.” 

“Oh, Harry,” James murmured sadly, the pieces finally clicking into place. There was no healing Harry’s wound. The magic of the forest was gone. Without the stone, neither Harry nor the forest could survive. 

Harry patted James’s hand, taking off his crown with shaky hands. He murmured something unintelligible under his breath, the crown shining softly in Harry’s hand. 

“Here, take this,” Harry coughed out, pressing his hand against his open wound as he handed the now bloodied crown to James. 

James took the crown, looking both confused and scared. “Harry, what-”

“The forest’s final blessing upon it’s crown stone,” he explained with a shrug. “The stone is tied to my life force; however, if I pass down the crown then the stone’s reincarnating powers  won’t be lost. The crown will regain its power as soon as I die. Give it to Lilith. She must protect the crown until the crown chooses a new master.” Harry gasped softly, his knees finally giving out. 

James held him up, helping the man to lay down on the bed. Harry did so with difficulty, patting James’ hand softly, his eyes looking glassy. 

It was clear that Harry’s spell not only gave the crown a successor. It was killing him more quickly, from within. 

“Thank you, James. You’ve made life…bearable. Do thank Percival and Merlin for-” Harry suddenly choked, feeling a sharp burst of pain right where his heart was.

He closed his eyes, hoping uselessly that that would help the pain go away. He could feel the darkness grasping his mind, taking deeper and deeper into the void, making his body numb. He felt the nothingness grasp his heart, and the Harry felt nothing, his broken heart finally giving out.

James breathed out softly, trying to keep himself from crying as he closed Harry’s lifeless eyes. “Rest now, my king” James murmured brokenly, getting up from the bed. 

He felt the stone in his hands vibrate and heat up as Harry’s final blessing unfurled, reviving the broken stone and breathing new life into the weakened forest. 

He closed the door to the room behind him, walking to the throne room numbly. He looked at Harry’s throne, a soft sob finally escaping him. He walked to the throne, kneeling there to place the crown on the grand chair Harry had sat at for twenty five years. 

He whirled around at the sound of the doors opening, to reveal a distraught looking Eggsy. 

The young man stopped immediately, his eyes glued to the now shining crown. “James, what-”

“He’s dead,” he said bitterly, looking at Eggsy with rage-filled eyes. “Harry is dead.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* Ilu


	19. Welcome back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “We all make mistakes, but what matters is how we go back and fix them.”   
> ― Rwynn Christian

Eggsy’s breath fluttered, and he froze, looking at James uncomprehendingly. It was impossible. The man had to be lying to him. The stone was shining bright on the throne; therefore, Harry couldn’t be dead. He just couldn't be dead. 

The forest couldn’t survive without its king.

Eggsy couldn’t do this without Harry.

He looked around around himself, his throat drying as he saw the castle walls still cracked and looking old. He walked numbly towards the throne, picking up the crown with shaky hands. James watched him with hate filled eyes, clearly holding himself back by the skin of his teeth.

He doubted there was anyone he hated more right now that Eggsy, except, perhaps Valentine. There were a myriad things he wanted to shout at the younger man, none of them nice, but he knew Harry wouldn’t have wanted that. If the man who had been slighted had not said anything, then it wasn’t James’ place to intervene. But then again Harry was dead, so really it didn’t matter what the man wanted because he wasn’t there to see it through anymore.

Eggsy turned then, to look at James, his eyes shining with unshed tears. James wasn’t sure why, but that only made him angrier. How dare Eggsy cry, when he was the one that had gotten them into this mess in the first place? Guilt was useless.

Guilt wasn’t going to bring Harry back.

Eggsy walked past the man, still feeling as numb as before. He could see how badly the man wanted to throttle him. He knew he deserved it too, but he was too tired to stand there and bear James’s rage. He was angry enough at himself for the both of them. Angry for not having realized that that wasn’t Harry. Angry for not having talked over Harry, thinking that the man would only get angrier at that. Angry that he had not realized the illusion only worked on him, and not everyone else.

He pushed past the closed, wooden doors, feeling James follow immediately. The man watched him wearily. Eggsy clearly had no idea where he was going. Harry had probably not taken him this far into the castle, but the younger man seemed determinate to find the late King’s body. James sighed, not quite sure whether or not Harry would have wanted Eggsy to see his dead body. But then again, perhaps reality would finally come into focus if he saw what was left of Harry. Perhaps he would finally understand the magnitude of his actions.

“Follow me,” James all but snapped, passing by Eggsy with little difficulty, making sure not to touch the younger man. He still looked as angry as before.

He walked Eggsy to a set of golden doors, pushing them open without touching them. He moved to the side, letting Eggsy in to what had once been a very bright, very beautiful room, which was now dark and filled with gloom. The lights above, which were fed by sunlight, were all off as there had been very little sunlight recently. Still, a few of the fairies where in the room, providing some light as they remained virtually still, hovering near Harry’s body.

Eggsy’s breath shook as he took in the sight of Harry’s bloodied vest. He had not realized that the man had been wounded. Had that been what killed him? Or had it really been the fact that Eggsy had broken the stone?

He came to kneel next to the limp man on the bed, grasping Harry’s hand ever so delicately. He didn’t deserve to touch Harry’s hand, and yet he couldn’t help himself but touch it. It was a way of allowing himself to pretend that maybe, just maybe, Harry would wake up again and squeeze his hand, telling him that there was nothing to worry about.

Except that the man was dead, and there was no coming back.

“I’m so sorry,” Eggsy whispered, squeezing Harry’s hand like a lifeline. “I didn’t… I fucked up. I am so sorry.” Eggsy let out a soft sob, covering his mouth with his free hand. He knew James was still there, watching the scene unfold, but he couldn’t be bothered. He needed to get everything out of his chest. “I thought it was you, Harry, I really did… I… fuck I am so sorry,”

Eggsy sobbed again, knowing that every single excuse was useless.

“Please, Harry, come back to me,” he suddenly pleaded, knowing how utterly foolish he sounded. “I can’t do this without you… I… I love you,” he admitted, feeling something inside him break. 

He finally looked up at Harry, touching the man’s cheek softly. He was so still… He looked so sad. It made Eggsy want to cry again.

It was somehow different to admit it to himself in the quietness of his heart than to admit it out loud, in the room where his once almost-lover laid dead, all because of him. It made his heart ache. It made him want to pull away to go drown himself in the lake. It made him want to say it again and again and again, until everyone had heard it, until everyone knew how fucked up this all was.

“I love you,” he repeated again, this time louder. “You are the first man I loved, and I don’t know what to do with myself without you. I don’t know how to love someone else. I can’t. I can’t. Harry, can you hear me? Please… I love you.”

Suddenly, the crown in Eggsy’s hand shone brightly, filling the dim room with red light. Eggsy frowned, looking directly at the stone, before letting out a howl of pain. The stone was burning the skin of his hand. He tried to let go of it, but it was as if the stone was glued to his hand.

He watched Harry’s body shine from within, his skin glowing red in a way that made Eggsy’s stomach churn with fear. What the hell was happening? He closed his eyes as the pain in his hand worsened, and he bit his lip to keep himself from screaming.

James eyes widened as he pushed himself off the wall. His pulse raising. The stone was doing something to Harry. He wasn’t quite sure what yet, but he was pretty sure he knew what was happening. He rushed to where Eggsy was sitting, touching the stone with hesitant fingers. His eyes widened as he realized the stone was taken energy from Eggsy’s body and forcing it in waves into Harry’s heart.

Bloody hell, the stone was trying to bring Harry back with Eggsy’s own life force, using the younger man’s love to tie the two.

Well, he had certainly not been expecting the stone to be so determinate in keeping Harry alive. Perhaps the king had made quite an impression on whatever it was that made the stone decide who deserved to be its master.

Eggsy screamed again and that snapped James out of his stupor. He immediately funneled some of his own energy in to redirect the stone, keeping the life force flooding into Harry’s system concentrated on the man’s heart.

Harry’s body suddenly jumped from the bed, his heart beating hard and fast as the stone worked to restore Harry’s system. James touched the stone resting on Eggsy’s neck, thanking the heavens that Lilith had been sensible enough to give Eggsy back the jewel.

The stone immediately awoke, sending a surge of energy through the still forming bond that was now seemed to be keeping Harry alive - albeit barely. With another surge of energy from Eggsy’s stone, Harry’s body jolted, the energy enough to revive his brain, his nervous system, his senses. Wave after wave coursed from Eggsy’s body to Harry’s body, all directed by James.

The seer watched Eggsy with slightly worried eyes, hoping that this wouldn’t be too great a toll on the younger man’s body.

Suddenly the glow making Harry’s body shine died down, and the stone sent one last burst of energy, before letting the bond - which was now firmly in place - go. 

“What the hell happened?” Eggsy said breathlessly, looking up at James as he swayed on his seat.

James steadied him quickly, taking away Harry’s stone, just in case it decided to act up again. The seer then turned to look at Harry and took the man’s pulse, almost crying out of joy when he found one. “Incredible,” he whispered, unable to contain himself.

“What’s incredible? What happened?” Eggsy repeated again, looking more and more annoyed at being kept in the dark. 

“The stone resuscitated Harry using your energy. Right now your life forces are connected,” James explained, distantly noticing that it sounded much more creepy when said aloud.

Eggsy frowned. “So does that mean that if he dies-”

“Nothing will happen to you,” James assured him. “Since your lifeline is the current anchor, what happens to you is what happens to the both of you. So if you die so does Harry.”

Eggsy gaped looking down at the still unconscious man with wide eyes. So he was now responsible for keeping Harry alive. Fucking hell why would anyone trust him with such a thing.

“It’s alright, Eggsy,” James said as if reading his mind. “The only thing you have to do is rest and replenish your own energy, which your stone will be doing for you.” James grabbed him by the arm and led him to the other side of the bed. “Come now, you need to sleep.”

Eggsy wanted to protest, but he felt far too drained to do anything but turn to face Harry, and close his eyes as he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

—————————————-

Harry woke up with a start, the bright morning light hitting him square in the face. He grunted softly, moving to lay on his side to avoid the sunlight. He froze immediately, however, when he felt body warmth emanating from the person sleeping next to him. His eyes flew open, his fight or flight response as strong as ever. He froze again, however, when he realized that the person sleeping next to him was Eggsy. 

What the bloody hell had happened? Was he dead?

_Oh._

He could remember Valentine’s blast. He could remember, too, dying in this same bed, bleeding out like a broken doll. He sat up with some difficulty, looking down at his still bloodied vest. Perhaps he was in some time of limbo, stuck here for some reason or other. But then why was Eggsy next to him? Was the young man a figment of his imagination? Was he there to torture Harry or relieve his pain?

Harry sucked in a breath when he noticed the warm glow of the red stone sitting on his bedside table. So he was definitely dead and dreaming then. Well, at least so far the dream hadn’t been so bad.

Eggsy began moving next to him, awakened by Harry’s movements. The younger man opened his eyes slowly, his pretty lashes teasing Harry to no end. He first looked a bit confused, until his eyes landed on Harry and he realized the man was awake. He let out a joyous sound before all but throwing himself into Harry’s arm, not giving a rat’s ass about the bloodied vest.

“You’re awake,” Eggsy said with a sob. “Oh god, I was so worried. I thought it hadn’t worked. I thought you weren’t going to wake up. I-”

Harry pulled away softly, not saying anything. He had always known he had very vivid dreams, so he didn’t see why in his death it would be different. But if he was to be stuck with a version of Eggsy that his mind had dreamt up, that loved him and not Charlie, then he would enjoy the moment, for however long it lasted.

“Harry?” Eggsy said a bit worried, suddenly remembering he still hadn’t apologized to the man, not when he was awake anyway. “Harry I am so sorry about what happened. I don’t love Charlie. I never did. I thought it was you. Valentine cast a spell on Charlie. I thought…. please Harry say something,” Eggsy whispered, not sure whether he was allowed to touch the man or not.

“You are so beautiful,” Harry whispered in awe, touching Eggsy’s cheek softly. “I would have thought that my mind wouldn’t be able to conjure you up so perfectly, but you seem so real… brilliant,” he whispered, rubbing his thumb against Eggsy’s slack jaw. “Obviously, I can’t confirm whether you look like the real… but that doesn't really matter anymore,” Harry whispered, suddenly pulling away, looking sad.

“Real.. what?” Eggsy felt his heart break yet again when he finally realized Harry didn’t think this was real. “Harry I am real,” he insisted, bringing the man’s hand to touch his face. “You died, but we brought you back to life last night. Your stone… well your stone kind of did it for us.” Eggsy turned to face the door. “James!”

The man appeared inside the room out of thin air, letting out a soft gasp once he saw Harry awake. “Oh, thank heavens. It worked.”

“He thinks it’s a dream,” Eggsy murmured quickly, his distress showing.

James frowned, turning to look at Harry with annoyance. “Why would this be a dream? The stone regained its power like you said it would, and Eggsy here confessed his love.”

It was Harry’s turn to frown. “James, he already confessed his love for someone else. The stone-”

“Valentine put a spell on Charlie,” Eggsy said, cutting the two men off. I thought it was you, Harry. I love you. I’ve only ever loved _you_.”

Harry’s stone shone again, albeit not as brightly as the night before, but Harry still turned to look at it. He picked it up carefully, sucking in a sharp breath as reality finally came crashing down when his powers were restored to him.

This was real. It was impossible to imagine the stone’s power. He knew that from experience.

He turned to face Eggsy again, his eyes wilder this time. “I… How-”

Eggsy chuckled, before kissing Harry straight on the lips, not giving a damn that James was still there. He kissed Harry like he was afraid of letting go, afraid of losing him again. Harry groaned against his lips, feeling the familiar jolt of pleasure. He hauled Eggsy closer, his hands traveling down to Eggsy’s ass of their own accord. Eggsy moaned against him, thrusting into the aid a bit too desperately, making Harry purr in delight.

James cleared his throat, looking at the two with unimpressed eyes. “As nice as it is to see you both reconnect, I am afraid we need to get you to the castle,” James murmured, looking straight at Eggsy. “Chester is going to proclaim his son next in line today.”

Harry clenched his jaw, anger flaring immediately. He wanted to help, but he knew he was still too weak. He needed a few more days to recover, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t send someone in his stead.

“Percival!“ Harry called out, knowing the man could hear him from wherever he was in the castle. “Wait for Eggsy by the front doors. You know what to do.”

Eggsy frowned and looked at Harry. “What is he supposed to do?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” 

——————————

Percival brought the door down with a single well placed blast, and Eggsy forced himself not to gape. He had had no idea the man was so powerful. But then again, the forest had finally been fully restored, which meant that Percival’s powers were back to their peak. Percival's lips thinned into a grim line when he realized the ceremony had already begun.  

He walked a few steps in front of Eggsy, in case someone decided to come out and attack the legitimate king. He smiled softly when he watched both Chester and  Charlie turn around, looking flabbergasted to see Eggsy again. 

“Ladies, and gentlemen,” Eggsy said, his voice booming around the hall for the benefit of the nobles standing in the room. “These men have lied to you.” He turned to look at Chester, his eyes filled with fire. “Chester King was the one that firsttook your king away. He killed my father and then took the throne for himself, and now he wants to do the same with me, but I will not let him.” He looked between the two, derision and contempt rolling off of Eggsy in waves. “I will never again allow you to harm my kingdom.” 

Chester motioned for the guards to move, but Eggsy raised his hand, feeling the stone’s power spread through his body. The men froze in place, held back by Eggsy’s magic. He still had no idea how to use his stone, but Percival had taught him that trick before coming, and Eggsy had to admit, it had its perks.

Percival took that as his queue to move, dissolving into nothingness before appearing behind Chester, taking the man’s own sword to stab his heart. “So you do have a heart after all,” Percival said in the man’s ear. “How shocking.”

There was a collective gasp and a few shrieks around the room, but Percival paid them no mind. “He has finally paid for his crimes against this realm,” the man said, loud enough for everyone to hear. He turned to face Charlie. “You may be a bad man, but you haven’t committed as many crimes as your father, therefore I will not kill you.”

“Arrest him,” Eggsy said flatly, not showing how squeaked out he was by seeing Percival kill Chester. The last thing they needed right now was for people to think Percival wasn’t acting on Eggsy’s orders.

“With pleasure,” the man said, a small smile that sent cold shivers down Charlie’s spine gracing his lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be going away for a week, so you will be getting chapter 20 later than expected, but I hope you enjoyed chapter 19!


	20. Say yes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Tell him yes. Even if you are dying of fear, even if you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry all the rest of your life if you say no."  
> \- Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

Eggsy paced from side to side in the old throne room, growing restless by the second. It had been over a week since they had managed to stop Chester and his plans to take away Eggsy's crown, and he had yet to see Harry again.

Harry was still recovering from his brush with death, and could not come visit, and Eggsy was one step away from losing his sanity with the amount of paperwork and ceremonies he had had to attend to for the past week. He had always been busy as a prince, but he had not expected there to be such chaos when one took over the crown. There were so many protocols to follow for such an event to happen it was ridiculous.

He had had to sign a myriad of paper, and had had to attend one too many dinners, fittings, dress rehearsals, ceremonies, last minute lessons, and late night meetings. It was simply awful. He had had no breaks to even think about visiting Harry, but, after a week, he was tired of being kept away from the man.

They had not even had the time to share more than a few kisses. Eggsy wanted more. He needed more.

He turned to the window with a soft sight, distantly wondering when he would finally find the time to go visit his lover. He froze as a wild idea wiggled its way into his mind.

He had a lot of paperwork left, but his mind wasn't really in it. Hell, he had been reading the same document for the past hour with no end in sight. If he wasn't going to be productive, he may as well do something he enjoyed.

Eggsy smiled to himself, imagining Harry's reaction at seeing him come unannounced.

Without further thought, Eggsy moved away from the window, exiting the study without looking back at the large set of documents sitting on his desk. He would do them some time tomorrow.

He ran down the staircases of the castle, looking everywhere to make sure no one noticed his abscence. The last thing he needed right now was to be followed. Merlin had tightened his security as soon as his father's crown had been placed upon Eggsy's head. Eggsy had known it would happen, of course, but it made it no less annoying. He hated being followed everywhere. He wasn't that breakable.

He breathed a sigh of relief once he reached the stable and came face to face with JB. There was little chance that the guards would catch up with him now. Merlin might notice, but that was alright. Eggsy was moderately sure that the knight would give him the night off.

He patted JB's muzzle, smiling softly as the horse leaned into his touch, huffing in delight. Eggsy felt a twinge of guilt at not having brought a treat for his friend, but he was sure he could ask for something for his horse at Harry's place.

He climbed onto JB's back, patting his softly as the horse took off, speeding through the deserted street leading out of the palace. Eggsy thanked the heavens at the sight of the doors wide open. There were two guards standing there, their eyes narrowed as they saw the king approach, but it would be easier to get them out of the way than to get them to open the door.

Eggsy kept going, forcing the guards to jump to the side to keep themselves from being toppled by JB. Eggsy shouted an apology, but did not stop, knowing that this was his only chance to leave unsupervised. He did not let JB slow down until they reached the outer edge of the forest.

Eggsy touched his yellow pendant, calling Lilith with it. While he still understood very little of what the stone could do, he had discovered a few useful tricks in the past few days. He usually played with it at night, when he was tired but couldn't fall asleep, or when he needed a reminder that Harry was there, waiting for him.

The winged woman appeared in the air after a few minutes, her long, majestic wings making the air ripple around her. She flapped her wings with grace, coming to stand in front of Eggsy with a dispassionate gaze.

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to return," she murmured, her tone soft, but her words chiding.

"I have been terribly busy," he admitted in an apologetic tone. "I... Is Harry free tonight?"

"I'm sure he can make some time for you," she said, her lips twitching as a smile threatened to appear.

Eggsy grinned at her. The woman would always be protective of Harry, that was a given. Strangely though, Eggsy didn't mind it. In fact, he welcomed it. Harry, of what he had seen, was a bit too polite and a bit too selfless for his own good.

"Come on then," she said with a smirk. "I'll take you to him."

Eggsy nodded, before murmuring "I was wondering if you could give JB a treat afterwards. I forgot to bring one with me, so-"

"Leave him here and I'll come back for him," she said, her eyes growing warmer. She seemed to have a soft spot for the horse.

Eggsy nodded again and went about tying JB to a near tree, patting his side before moving back to where the general was standing. She opened her arms to him, bringing him close before spreading her long wings to take off.

Eggsy held on tightly, a hint of a smile on his face as she took them to the castle, the wind hitting his face, thus making his cheeks redden.

She dropped him off at the front gate, before taking off again without another word to go find Eggsy's horse. He smiled softly as he entered the impressive castle, making his way to Harry's room.

He opened the door without bothering to knock, the air leaving him as soon as he came face to face with a shirtless Harry Hart. He felt himself flush as he looked at the man's well defined muscles, at his perked, pink nipples.

Fuck, he looked beautiful.

"Uh... Hi," Eggsy said as he leaned against the now closed door, trying to keep himself from staring.

Harry smiled brightly at the newcomer, clearly surprised to see Eggsy tonight. "Good evening, Eggsy," Harry said in a low purr, coming slightly closer. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I know," Eggsy said, licking his lips. "I just.... I needed to see you," he admitted, taking a step closer. "I'm sorry I haven't come lately, but with the coronation and everything-"

Harry raised his hand, stopping Eggsy. "There's no need to apologize, my dear. Believe me, I know too well how hectic life becomes once you have a crown sitting on your head."

Eggsy smiled, relief flooding through his veins at the knowledge that Harry wasn't angry at him for being virtually MIA for a week and a half.

Eggsy stepped closer to the older man, looking up at him with half lidded eyes. "I've missed you," he murmured softly, smiling at the way Harry's eyes immediately darkened.

"I've missed you too," Harry murmured, bringing his hands up to caress Eggsy's cheeks. He leaned down, kissing Eggsy's left cheek, his right cheek, then his nose, and the finally his lips.

Eggsy moaned involuntarily, the wave of pleasure that always came with touching Harry making itself known. He latched onto Harry's lower lip, not wanting to let the man go. Harry responded immediately, pushing Eggsy back until he had the younger man pinned against the door.

Harry raised to his full height, forcing Eggsy to raise himself to his tip toes to keep kissing him. He kept Eggsy there for a while, kissing him slowly, enjoying the way Eggsy couldn't quite reach his mouth when he was so desperate to.

Eggsy whined, finally coming back down and yanking Harry down with him to kiss the man properly. Harry avoided his mouth, however, and instead went for his neck, sucking and biting just above the collar of Eggsy's shirt.

Eggsy couldn't be arsed to care as he arched into the man's touch, Harry's mouth feeling hot against his neck. He gripped Harry's arms, digging his nails into the man as Harry touched his cock.

He was unable to keep a blush off his face. No one, apart from himself, had ever touched him there. Yet it felt so right to have Harry's hand there. Harry palmed him softly through his trousers, enjoying the little moans Eggsy seemed unable to keep inside.

He kissed the younger man again, swallowing every sound as he began unbuttoning Eggsy's jacket and then the buttons of his shirt. He pushed the two items off, incredibly happy to find that - for once - it seemed Eggsy was wearing minimal clothing.

He ran his hands down Eggsy's chest, taking special notice of the younger man's nipples. Eggsy gasped against Harry's lips, pleasure shooting out from his nipples to his groin. He ran his hands down the older man's chest, undoing the buttons of his trousers with unsteady fingers.

Eggsy latched onto Harry's neck, copying as best he could the same tricks Harry had used on him, feeling a tinge of smugness when the man moaned deeply. He may have no experience doing this, but at least Harry seemed to be enjoying it.

Harry pulled them back to the bed, easing the younger king onto the mattress. He took off Eggsy's shoes as well as his socks and trousers, kissing the inside of his right knee before moving to his left.

Eggsy watched silently, not wanting to miss a single moment. He had been waiting for this for weeks now. He still felt a tingle of trepidation for what was to come, but the love in Harry's eyes kept him grounded and calm. Harry would never hurt him, nor would he ever complain about Eggsy's inexperience.

"Harry I-" Eggsy swallowed, not sure how to proceed. He knew logically that Harry wouldn't mind, but he had yet to tell the man he had never been with anyone before.

"What is it, love?" Harry murmured, his brow creasing with worry.

Eggsy opened and closed his mouth, before finally saying "I just... I haven't... I don't know how... I mean I've never-"

Harry kissed him softly, not needing Eggsy to finish what he was saying to understand what the young man meant. He kept himself from groaning. There was no denying that the fact that he would be Eggsy's first was incredibly arousing, but that also meant he had to take it slow, be gentle.

He carefully took off Eggsy's breeches, aware that he was still wearing clothing. He pushed away, kicking off his shoes and his trousers, never once taking his eyes off of Eggsy.

The young man was a vision, splayed out on the beed looking flushed and wanton. Harry crawled back unto the bed, kissing Eggsy's body as he went up to meet the younger man's lips. He let his hands roam low, kneading Eggsy's arse as he nipped at his jaw.

"What do you want, Eggsy?" Harry asked as he pulled away slightly, the idea that they might be taking things too fast finally dawning on him.

"I... I want you," he said, a bit confused by the honesty in Harry's question.

Harry smiled softly, shaking his head. "Alright, but how do you want me?" Harry chuckled softly at Eggsy's confused look. "What I mean is... Would you like to top or would you prefer I do it?"

Eggsy blushed profusely at Harry's words and looked away, biting his lips. "Can't we do both?"

Harry chuckled again. "Of course we can, but I mean what do you want tonight?"

Eggsy blushed again, splaying his legs open to let Harry settle there more comfortably, making his intentions clear. Harry breathed out softly, enjoying the heat emanating from both of their bodies. He moved slightly, their cocks sliding together and making them shudder.

Harry wrapped his hand around both of their members, giving them a few teasing tugs. Eggsy whined, clutching Harry's arms as he threw his head back. He splayed his legs a little wider, before gasping as he felt a wet finger rub against his hole tentatively, asking for permission.

Eggsy's eyes widened as he looked down at where Harry's hand connected with his body. He had no idea how Harry had managed to put on the oily substance on his fingers without his notice, but Eggsy was pretty sure it had something to do with his powers. He'd have to ask later.

Finally, he nodded softly, before being overwhelmed by the sensation of Harry jerking him off just as he pushed inside of him.

Eggsy moaned, half in pain, half in pleasure as he felt a soft burn inside him. Harry kept his finger still, kissing Eggsy as he allowed him to adjust to the new sensation. Soon enough, he felt the younger man relax, and he smiled, kissing him again as he began moving his fingers in and out of Eggsy's body slowly for a few minutes.

Eggsy sucked on Harry's lower lip, shivering slightly as Harry added a second finger. He winced slightly at the intrusion, forcing himself to relax under Harry's gentle ministrations.

The older man was patient, going slowly enough to let Eggsy adjust, and finding different ways to distract him until the pain turn to pleasure.

Eggsy pushed back against Harry's hand, taking more of the man's finger in. Harry crooked his fingers as retaliation, making Eggsy jump as he found the younger man's prostate.

Eggsy moaned, as he whispered "again... Please."

Harry shushed him with a kiss as he added a third finger, making Eggsy moan at the fullness. He kept a relentless pace, opening Eggsy up faster than he wanted as his tight control waned. He needed to be inside Eggsy.

Finally he removed his fingers as Eggsy asked for more, and he aligned himself with Eggsy's opening pushing in just his head before stopping. He kissed Eggsy, swallowing his half pained moans as he drove in slowly until he was fully seated inside Eggsy.

He remained very still, rubbing the head of Eggsy's cock to keep him on the edge. Eggsy cried out as he jerked in Harry's touch, feeling Harry's cock move inside him. He moaned again, breathing slowly as he tried to take it all in.

"Move," Eggsy said, half crazed out of his mind with desire.

Harry groaned and complied, driving in and out slowly at first until he was snapping his hips hard enough to hit make the bed screech.

Eggsy closed his eyes, letting out a litany of noises he was no longer able to keep in as he hoisted his legs further up, his spine arching every time Harry hit his prostate. Harry suddenly wrapped a hand around Eggsy's cock, and that was the end of it.

Eggsy's body seized up as his vision blurred and he came screaming Harry's name, his body becoming pliant as Harry drive in once, twice, and then stilled against him as he came.

The two men stayed still for a moment, breathing heavily against each other. Harry rolled away after a while, bringing Eggsy with him to lay comfortable half on top of Harry.

"That was..." Eggsy didn't know how to go on, and so instead kiss Harry's chest just as the man began caressing his back.

"Indeed." Harry chuckled softly, kissing the top of Eggsy's head. "So, have you adjusted to your new duties?"

"Sort of," Eggsy murmured sleepily. "I was actually hoping you'd be willing to come and help me," Eggsy blurted out as his endorphin-addled mind took over.

Harry sighed softly. "I'm afraid I still have to take care of the forest."

Eggsy bit his lip, before whispering "We could always... Well combine them."

Harry stilled next to him. "Eggsy... are you... was that-"

"I was going to propose to you during the ball," Eggsy admitted, suddenly feeling very nervous. "It's okay if you don't want to, I-"

Harry grabbed Eggsy's face and kissed him as he chuckled. "I'd love to, my dear. I would love to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the ride. I certainly enjoyed writing it. I will be starting my Star Wars AU some time next week so I'm so excited about that.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is Swan Lake AU many of you have hear me talk about on tumblr, and that many of you have been waiting for. I am basing this fic on 4 things: the actual story of Swan Lake - made by Tchaikovsky - the movie Swan Princess, the movie Barbie of Swan Lake, and my own imagination. I am rather excited to begin a new fic. In this fic - in case it wasn’t clear - Harry is 25 at the beginning, as is Merlin. You’ll see them age as the fic progresses. (We’re going to skip a whole lot of years, btw, lol). I know this was a slow start, but I do have to first set up this new world I’m taking you to, so bear with me.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always very much appreciated!


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